


On The Edge Of No Tomorrow

by alightbane



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempt at Humor, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Slow Burn, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2020-07-23 05:41:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 50,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20003218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alightbane/pseuds/alightbane
Summary: "Eventually you reach this point in your life when the whole world gets quiet and the only thing you can hear is your heart. And when you finally get to hear it, you have to listen to what it's saying. And my heart told me something all the years of training never did, sometimes it's alright to be selfish."Two of the best secret agents. Two rivals. Two men with a tragic past. One mission. But nothing is ever that simple.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Couldn't get this idea out of my head so here we are!
> 
> I'll be adding more characters and tags as the story progresses. 
> 
> If you want to live-tweet this fic, use #OTEONTfic so I could find it :) 
> 
> Also a huge thank you for all the help to [Meisha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/banesarchangel) and [Cel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/softddario/pseuds/Lghtwdsheart) <3

Agent Lightwood was walking down the hallway of Idris organization, one of the best secret agencies in the world. He was woken up at 5 am by captain Garroway, who inquired his presence for a talk regarding a new mission. 

Being woken up at such an ungodly hour wasn't a rare occurrence but what _was_ unusual was the place the captain asked to meet him at. Room C793, 17th floor, west wing. 

Everyone in the agency knew what was in the room, but only a limited number of people had access to it. The room held the greatest invention that hundreds of scientists had spent decades drafting and calculating to finally build the machine which allowed people to travel in time, Cerebro. 

Despite being built years ago, the machine hasn't been used after it was tested as travelling through a wormhole wasn't beneficial for both, the traveller and the machine itself. It was decided Cerebro should only be used in emergency cases and now Alexander Lightwood was making his way towards the said machine.

Upon entering the room, Alec took a minute to look around. The place was full of silver equipment, computers, and filing cabinets filled with drafts, plans, formulas and instructions, and then in the middle of it all stood Cerebro, a huge round platform with dozens of wires connecting it to the mechanisms hidden under the floor, the power of which Alec could only imagine. His head started filling with questions but the most important one was what kind of a disaster had to happen that led to Alec being summoned to this room. 

Alec stood there admiring the machine until the captain's voice pulled him out of his reverie. “Agent Lightwood.”

“Captain Garroway.” Alec turned to the sound of Luke Garroway’s voice and straightened himself, hands clasped behind his back, no trace of astonishment left on his face. 

“I think you've already figured that you weren't called here for the usual chitchat we call a report on the criminal activity. This is about a crucial mission we've just received,” Luke informed him with a troubled expression on his face before adding a bit quieter, “Probably the most crucial we've ever had.” 

Luke Garroway spent years working for Idris. He went through every position from the trainee to the captain. He was vigorous, straightforward, precise, and Alec had never seen him be more hesitant than he was in this very moment, which only piqued Alec's curiosity about the mysterious mission.

Luke looked at his watch and his brows furrowed. “I’m afraid your partner is late but he should be here soon.”

“My partner?” Agent Lightwood was used to working in small groups and bigger teams, he even worked alone a couple of times, but working in a pair was new to him. As a senior agent Alec would always choose his own team for a mission, usually consisting of about 7 people but he always felt the most comfortable working with his siblings, Jace and Isabelle. They were all great agents on their own but they were incomparable working as a team.

While Alec was trying to figure out how he felt about the prospect of having a partner, Captain Garroway continued with his pep talk. “I know you're not used to working this way and neither is your partner but this mission is of great importance and I can only trust the two of you for multiple various reasons to get the work done.”

Apart from the unusual rambling the captain was going through Alec noticed him rubbing his thumb and index finger together in a nervous manner, very unlike Luke.

“I expect you to understand and accept the mission and face all the possible conflicts maintaining the professionalism I know you both possess and-” Luke's speech was interrupted by the sound of the door being opened and none other than Magnus Bane walked into the room, Alec's biggest rival in his own agency. 

Everybody knew Alec Lightwood and Magnus Bane didn't get along, to put it mildly. They couldn't stand each other from the moment they first met during their training for the newbies, both being stubborn and competitive. They were both good at close combat, their sparring matches always ended in a draw. Even during their regular training, Magnus would always throw his knife a millimeter closer to the middle of the bullseye than Alec's and Alec would proudly smirk at Magnus after getting two extra points on a shooting range, turning everything into a competition. 

Some say it was because they were polar opposites. Alec hated Magnus’ occasional recklessness, his unapologetic desire to dive headfirst into any danger and his natural flair for the dramatic while Magnus despised Alec's righteousness, his constant will to follow the rules even when the situation called for a breach. 

Others said their similarity was what put them against each other, their shared desire to be better than the other, to always come on top. Both Alec and Magnus were professionals in their field. Their strategic planning knew no failures, their fighting techniques were impeccable, their leadership skills - flawless. They were natural-born leaders of their respective teams and no one in their right mind had ever put the two to work together. Until now.

Which brings us back to Luke Garroway, currently glaring at Magnus, unimpressed. “Agent Bane. You're late.” 

“Captain Garroway,” Magnus acknowledged him with a respectful nod. “What can I say, perfection takes time,” he said, touching his perfectly gelled hair, causing Luke to sigh deeply, rolling his eyes, while Alec was throwing daggers at him with his eyes. 

“Please, come and sit down,” said Luke, gesturing towards a big round table not far from the Cerebro.

Magnus marched towards the table, throwing a quick “Lightwood” without even sparing Alec a glance. 

“Bane,” came an equally dry reply. 

“What tragedy struck the world of the future that you had to opt for me and Agent Lightwood working together?” Magnus seemed to be less than enthusiastic about being paired with Alec as he was. 

Alec's brows furrowed in confusion. “How do you know it's about the future?” 

“A wild guess,” Magnus replied, waving his hand dismissively. 

“It is, in fact, about the future.” Luke's words brought their attention back to him, causing them both to inhale sharply. 

“You're sending us to the future?” 

“You want us to travel in time?” asked the agents at the same time, exchanging a quick look. 

Luke rubbed his forehead as if deep in thought before replying, “This is not how I wanted to tell you but basically, yes.” 

Silence filled the room. 

“Okay..?” came Alec's tentative reply, prompting the captain to explain further.

Luke sighed. “I think it will be easier if I just show you. There's someone here to meet you.” Nothing happened for a few seconds. Captain Garroway coughed awkwardly and then there was some movement behind one of the filing cabinets and a few seconds later an old man of about 60 years appeared from behind it, causing the other men to rise to their feet. 

The man was tall, his darkish hair was mostly grey, his handsome features only slightly tainted with wrinkles. He was wearing simple dark clothes and had a thick stubble, clearly turning into a beard. He had that life-weary, resigned look of a person who reached that point in their life when life had stopped giving and only took away. The man's jaded watery eyes were fixed on one person in the room, _Magnus_ , while the agents’ eyes were glued to the tattoo the man spotted on his neck, now not as clearly recognizable because of the stubble and the creased skin.

“Holy shit.” Magnus seemed to be the first one to come to his senses. 

Alec felt like his breath was knocked out of his chest. “Is that..?” 

“You? Yes.” Luke stated plainly. Alec was no Victorian lady but at that very moment, he felt like he was about to faint. 

“Hello,” the man, _Alec_ , spoke in a hoarse deep voice, addressing everyone. 

“Well hello, grandpa.” Magnus went for his common teasing tone but the bemusement was clear as day on his usually snarky face.

The future Alec's attention was instantly drawn to Magnus and the corners of his mouth turned upwards into a small delicate smile. He slowly walked up to Magnus, a slight limp in his right leg, and tentatively brought his shaking hands up to gently cup Magnus’ face. His eyes, filled with fondness, scanned every inch of Magnus’ face as if trying to memorize his beautiful young features. Magnus’ eyes were blown wide from shock, his lips slightly parted. 

Alec was beyond perplexed at seeing the scene before him and even Luke had confusion written all over his face. “Excuse me, what was that for?” Alec's question seemed to break his future self out of his trance. 

He stepped away from Magnus finally allowing the agent to breathe. “Excuse my rude manners. Magnus and I had been partners for a long, long time.” The man's voice was laced with affection, the one Alec would only use while talking about his siblings. “I haven't seen him for a while,” he added, his eyes filling with barely contained sadness. 

“Magnus and I are gonna work together for years?!” Alec exclaimed, equally bewildered and terrified. 

However, the older Alec decided to ignore his younger self’s question, throwing him a knowing look, an amused smile playing on his lips. “I think I should explain why I’m here,” he said instead.

“Yes, please.” Luke clearly looked uncomfortable in the presence of someone older and more experienced than him but someone whose younger version was still rank lower than himself. 

The four of them sat down at the round table, the awkwardness of the whole situation hanging in the air. The only one completely unbothered by it was Alec, _the future Alec_. Three younger men were all looking at him, waiting for him to speak but he couldn't seem to take his eyes off Magnus, who started fidgeting in his chair uncomfortably. 

Luke coughed in his fist, trying to draw the man's attention to himself. “So,” he started, managing to sound more authoritative than before, “What year exactly did you come from?”

“I came from the year 2057.” 

Alec frowned. “This is like 38 years from now.”

“Oh, great! You can count,” Magnus said with sarcasm. 

Luke looked at him pointedly while Alec from the future shook his head with fond exasperation. “I’m here because we need your help. Idris agency was destroyed years ago and it never got to be restored as thousands of agents’ lives were lost due to the war Sebastian Morgenstern waged on our organization for trying to stop his destructive plans.” 

“And his plans were..?” prompted Alec. 

“Get rid of all the agencies that fight against people like him, take over the world and rule above everyone else.”

The room was dead silent for a minute before it rang with a loud bark of laughter. Three heads turned to look at Magnus who was wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. “I’m sorry, this sounds absolutely ridiculous. Are we in some Avengers movie or something?” 

“He has organizations in every country in the world, got them from his father, who got it from his father and so on. They'd been building this plan for ages,” future Alec explained. 

Magnus’ face turned serious. 

Everyone stared at the man blankly. “This is a lot to unpack,” Luke stated with a sigh. 

“Morgenstern has his own organization, they're not good people as you've already understood.”

“Clearly,” Magnus threw in.

“So you want us to go forward in time and stop this Sebastian?” Clarified Alec.

“Exactly.”

Magnus’ bit his lip, something he always did while thinking. “Wait, how old is this Sebastian in your time?” 

“Forty-two.” 

“This makes him...four years old now?” Magnus asked, uncertain.

No one seemed to follow Magnus’ train of thought. Alec looked at him in confusion. “What does it have to do with anything?”

“Don't you see? He's only four years old in our time. Can't we just...you know,” Magnus stood up and started making some complicated gestures with his hands? 

Alec was following Magnus' movements, his eyes narrowed, his brows furrowed in confusion. However, when he realized what Magnus was implying his expression turned into mortification. "You want to kill a child!?" 

“I don't _want_ to but if it saves thousands of people…” Magnus let his implication hang in the air. 

Everyone turned to look at Luke who cut it short with a curt “No.” 

Magnus shrugged and sat back in his chair. “So what's the plan?”

The old man closed his eyes for a few seconds and sighed heavily. “I can't tell you everything but there's some information I need you to know. Can I get a piece of paper?” 

A minute later Magnus and Alec had paper lying in front of them, an address, another address, date and time written on it. They stared at it silently, waiting for a further explanation.

“First of all, you need to go to the year 2037. This is when it all happened.” 

The men narrowed their eyes, puzzled. Future Alec had his eyes cast downwards, filled with grief and sorrow, his fists clenched. All three agents came to the same realization. “You've been living under Sebastian's reign for twenty years?” Magnus’ voice was quiet, filled with sympathy and regret. 

The man only nodded. 

“Why didn't you come sooner?” Now it was Alec who asked the question with the same amount of commiseration.

“My colleagues and I had been rebuilding the Cerebro. It took us ages to understand everything in those files and make it work. We're not professionals in this field. We weren't sure it would work when I decided to travel back in time. The chances were thirty out of a hundred, a leap of faith.” The older Alec raised his eyes and was met with three questioning horrified looks. He didn't need to ask to know what terrified the three agents in front of him. “Cerebro was destroyed some years after the tragedy. It got into Sebastian’s hands, didn't last long after that. He would constantly use it for his amusement going back and forth in time just for the fun of it. Like a child who has finally got to his new toy.” The man's voice was laced with anger and loathing when he talked about Sebastian. He looked like he would take Sebastian's life himself if he could. 

_This is exactly what he's doing,_ Alec thought. 

Future Alec shook his head as if banishing the memories of that tragic time. “This,” he pointed to the first address on the paper, “is where you should start. Once you're in 2037 go to this place. You're both smart, you’ll figure out what to do from there.”

Magnus turned to look at Alec. “Complimenting yourself? Nice.” He smirked at him causing Alec to roll his eyes and turn his attention back to his future self. 

Future Alec didn't seem bothered by this interruption, he only smiled fondly before going back to the paper. “The second address is where you should be on the said day before the said time. This is where Sebastian kept the hostages.” 

“April 16th, 2037. 17:03,” Alec read aloud. 

“You should be there _before_ that time, you hear me?” desperation was piercing the man's voice now. “You can be there days earlier if you figure out how to break in and save the people but it _must_ be before that time,” his voice broke and he paused, his breath caught in a shaky inhale, his face revealing the anguish, the memories of that time brought to him. “Before this time,” he repeated again, this time quieter, “or everything's in vain.” 

“Got it,” Magnus whispered, breaking the silence that filled the room.

Luke looked at the two agents with the determination of a man who knew exactly what he was doing, which probably just pretended in favour of his agents who looked paler than ever before. “That's it then. You two go get your stuff and meet me here in an hour. No point stalling.”

Alec and Magnus nodded and rose to their feet, ready to go pack. A loud cough made them turn around and look at Luke and then at the older version of Alec who was already standing as well.

“I guess it's time for me to go back,” he said, a hint of sadness evident in his words. “Good luck, agents. If anyone can do this, it's you.” He turned to shake hands with Luke before coming closer to where the two agents stood, uncertain of what to do or say. 

“We’ll do everything in our powers to prevent this. I promise,” Alec assured his older self, looking into his own dimmed eyes.

Future Alec smiled at him. “I know you will. There's just one more thing before I leave.” The man reached inside his pocket and pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper. “You have to promise me you won't open it until you freed the hostages.” 

Alec looked at his older self in the eyes, finding nothing but firm determination there. “I promise,” he nodded in affirmation. 

Future Alec patted him on the shoulder and with a short nod moved to stand in front of Magnus. 

Magnus was contemplating on what to say when he felt a calloused wrinkled hand touch his own soft hand, rubbing the back of it with a thumb in a gentle manner. He looked up from their clasped hands and into the eyes of the man who stood in front of him. 

“Goodbye, Magnus.” 

The man looked back at him, his eyes overflowing with so many emotions at once that Magnus felt his heart skip a beat. Looking into the man's watery eyes, he didn't know what possessed him to squeeze the older Alec's hand and murmur barely audible, "Goodbye, Alexander." 

A lonely tear escaped the man's eyes and Magnus felt the hold on his hand tighten for a brief moment before it disappeared completely, the older man turning away from him and limping back to the machine which would take him to his own time. 

The moment the man was gone, heavy silence filled the room once again. Both men looked at Magnus who cleared his throat that had suddenly become tight with indistinct emotion. “Well, that was weird.” He didn't waste time jumping back into his usual cheeky persona. “Gotta go pack my bags for the upcoming adventure to the future. See ya,” he threw over his shoulder, hurrying on his way out, leaving the two men alone.

Luke and Alec exchanged confused looks at everything that had just happened in front of their eyes but neither had much time to ponder on it. 

Just like Magnus, Luke turned back into his professional stoic self in a matter of seconds. “Go pack your stuff, Agent Lightwood. You have 50 minutes to take everything you need and say goodbye to your friends and siblings. Dismissed.”

Too many thoughts ran around Alec's head and he didn't know which one to focus on first. Walking down the long corridor back to his room, Agent Lightwood could already see his duffel bag in front of his eyes. He already knew what he needed to take before going to his siblings and then heading to the weaponry room. 

He took a deep breath, clearing his head of swirling thoughts, and took the stairs back down to his floor. 

______

When Alec entered the weaponry room Magnus was already there, sharpening his knives. There on the floor next to him stood one closed bag with his personal belongings, apparently, and next to it another one, opened and currently in the process of being filled with the weapons of Magnus’ choosing, which meant Magnus had already said his goodbyes and was on his final stop before going up to the room C793 again. 

“Izzy’s mad at you for not saying goodbye to her,” Alec said in an announcement of his presence. Magnus might not like the elder Lightwood but he and Izzy went along just fine. 

Magnus just shrugged without even looking at Alec. “I’ll bring her a magnet from the future.” He took another knife, raising it to the light to see if it needed sharpening. 

Alec opened his own bag and went to the opposite wall to the cabinet filled with guns and grenades.

The two agents proceeded to choose their weapons in silence until they both reached for the same lever-action rifle. 

“I’ll be taking this,” Magnus claimed nonchalantly, snatching the weapon from its holder. 

“You already have AR-15 in your bag, why would you need Winchester 94?” Alec asked, exasperated. “Just take more spare magazines.” 

“Don't tell me what to do, Alexander. Just take another gun,” Magnus’ voice was edging on annoyance, which only irritated Alec further and caused him to grunt. 

“God, why do you always have to be so extremely obnoxious.” 

Magnus moved closer to the other agent, to the point they were breathing into each other's faces. “Just say you've secretly always wanted me and go.” Magnus’ voice was almost a whisper. “You know I’m good at what I’m doing, you just never got to experience it firsthand. But you want to, admit it.” He pulled away and looked at Alec in a challenge. 

Alec Lightwood spluttered, his traitorous cheeks getting a rosy colour against his will. Magnus was still waiting for a comeback, looking at him, unimpressed. “As your working partner,” he clarified. 

Alec’s mouth was working faster than his brain and he blurted out a loud “Yes” before realizing how it must have sounded and correcting himself, “I mean no.” He cleared his throat and croaked out another “No”, more firmly this time. 

Magnus quirked his brow at him, unable to stop a small amused smile appearing on his lips. Alec was looking anywhere but at Magnus, his cheeks getting redder with every second, and if Magnus thought he looked absolutely adorable at that moment, no one had to know.

“Come on, Alexander, chop-chop. We have 10 more minutes left,” he reminded, putting the long-forgotten rifle in his bag. 

“Why do you insist on calling me, Alexander?” Alec asked, looking at Magnus, who was currently rummaging through a cabinet in search of a certain handgun. 

Magnus straightened up and started expertly reloading his gun. “Do you like it?” 

Alec looked at him pointedly. “I hate it.” 

“There’s your answer,” Magnus said before throwing away an empty magazine, turning on his heel and walking away and out of the weaponry room, adding an extra sway to his hips. He knew Alec Lightwood was watching, sue him. 

______

Alec walked into the room C739 at 8 am sharp to see Agent Bane already there. 

“All done with your goodbyes?” Captain Garroway inquired, more of a confirmation than a question.

The memory of telling his siblings he was going on a mission to the future with no other than Magnus Bane made Alec wince. Both Izzy and Jace knew what their jobs entitled, they all had orders to carry out and there was nothing they could do about Alec's current one. They parted reluctantly, promising to go after them if they were gone for too long. 

The first thing Magnus’ team did upon hearing the news, was tease the life out of him for having to work with Lightwood for so long. The Lightwood-Bane feud was the talk of the agency but no one ever doubted their ability to stay professional and efficient when needed. After some quick goodbye hugs and shoulder pats from his comrades, Magnus left the residential wing. He would say goodbye to Isabelle as well but he knew she'd want to spend the limited time with her brother. 

“So how does this work?” Magnus wondered as he stepped closer to the machine. 

“Think about the exact place you want to appear in and it's done.” 

The agents exchanged glances. “Brooklyn heights?” Alec asked, recalling the first address on a paper he had neatly folded in the pocket of his jacket. 

“No, we don't want to jump straight into this place disorientated. We don't know what's in there,” Magnus’ brows furrowed in thought, “or who,” he added. “We need some place we both know well.”

“Something we know will still be there in eighteen years time,” Alec thought aloud. “Something like Central Park?” 

Magnus’ eyes lit up. “Yeah, like Central Park.”

“What if Central Park doesn't exist in the future?” 

“It's existed for more than a hundred years now. What do you think will happen to it in eighteen years?” Magnus sounded exasperated, his voice rising with every word.

Being used to their quarrels, Luke just shook his head, sighing deeply. “Can't believe I’m sending two children to save the world,” he murmured under his breath. 

That seemed to break Magnus out of the pointless argument. “What was that?” 

Captain cleared his throat. “Good luck, agents.” Luke gestured for them to step onto the platform. “Try not to kill each other.” It wasn't that Luke doubted their efficiency, it was clear there were no agents more suitable for this work. He knew they were excellent separately, he just hoped they'd find a way to put their disagreements aside and work as a team just as successfully. 

Alec and Magnus stepped on the platform, nodding their readiness to the captain who was already stood behind the control panel of Cerebro, setting the exact time they had to travel to. Luke locked eyes with the agents for the last time before pulling the starting lever. The deafening roar of the high-powered engines beneath their feet made the anxiety rise in the pit of Alec's stomach. The platform started vibrating violently and Alec could rather see than hear Magnus gulp nervously next to him. The movements reached the peak of their intensity and the room was engulfed into white blinding light. 

Watching the whole process happen from the side was nothing compared to being in the very middle of it. No amount of training prepared Alec for the feeling of time travel. The sensation was new, unknown. It felt like something tugged at your insides and sucked your whole body into the eternal tunnel of darkness. It felt like falling, and in the brief moment of fear Alec blindly reached for something to hold on to and the next moment he knew he was standing in the middle of the Central Park, firmly clutching at Magnus’ hand. 

It took them ten seconds to realize they were in the needed destination and another ten seconds to realize they were still holding hands. By the look on Magnus’ face it was clear to Alec they'd just made a silent agreement never to bring it up. 

They stood there with their bags at their feet, looking around. Alec could tell it was nearing the evening by the sun’s location in the sky. Everybody was engrossed in their own activities, seemingly not noticing the two men appearing out of nowhere. Couples were cuddled up on the benches, children were running around, laughing, their parents struggling to catch up with them. Nothing looked out of ordinary.

“Did it work?” he asked hesitantly. 

“I don't know,” Magnus replied bluntly. “It's not like we can come up to that lady over there and say “excuse me, miss, would you be so kind as to tell us what year we're in?” he deadpanned.

Alec huffed in annoyance. Being a secret agent, he possessed extreme patience and composure but Magnus Bane was testing each and every one of his limits. “Come on, let's go,” Alec said, picking his bags off the ground.

“And go where exactly?” 

Alec looked at the other agent pointedly. “We have the address. Or do you suggest we just stand here with four huge black duffel bags? Not suspicious at all.” 

“It's okay, we look like tourists,” Magnus said with mock assurance. 

Alec threw his hands up, looking at Magnus incredulously. “Yeah, like tourists who decided to take a walk in the middle of the Central Park right after getting off a plane.” 

After thirty seconds of a staring contest, Magnus gave in for the lack of reasons not to do so. “Fine, lead the way.” 

Without another word Alec turned around and started making his way to the exit gate, leading Magnus out of the park, across the road and right towards the closest newsstand. Magnus immediately caught on with what Alec’s intentions were, pretending to look for a certain magazine on the stand. He picked up the newest issue of the “Star” magazine, scanning over the glossy cover with a face of a young celebrity Magnus had never seen before plastered all over it, and there, in the left bottom corner in a tiny font was an inscription - “the edition of April 2037”. 

Magnus looked to his right where Alec was making a show of choosing a bottle of soda without turning away from the magazine in his hands. “It worked,” he mouthed after making sure he had Alec's attention. 

“Yeah, I know,” he whispered back, expertly turning away from the security camera of the nearest building beforehand. He pointed upwards where a digital sign said in all red letters “2nd of April, 2037. 16:58.”

Magnus clenched his jaw then carefully placed the magazine back in its place. “It was displaying the temperature outside last I looked,” he grumbled. He grabbed Alec's arm as he tugged him out of the kiosk. “You could've just told me.”

Alec shrugged nonchalantly. “It was fun watching you figuring it out yourself,” he said, pulling his arm out of Magnus’ grasp that only tightened after Alec's reply. “You never choose an easy way, huh?” A small smug smile appeared on his lips involuntarily. 

_“Go fuck yourself,”_ Magnus wanted to bite out. “Let's just catch a cab,” he said instead. 

Watching the streets of New York flick past them in the window of a never-changing yellow cab was when Alec first noticed the changes. Huge flashy billboards advertising the products Alec had never seen before, new coffee shops and boutiques here and there, some renovated buildings, some newly-built. 

They got out of the cab a block away from their destination. The way to the building was mostly silent, only Magnus’ occasional grumbling, which sounded a lot like “is _that_ still in fashion?”, while passing by the shop windows broke the silence. 

The walk took them about 13 minutes. 13 minutes of Alec overthinking all his life choices. All his years of training, years of working in the field, years of experience couldn't have prepared him for this. Agent Lightwood saved thousands of people from terrorist acts, worked undercover to neutralize an underground mob organization, flew a plane after the pilot was killed by the hijackers, spent hours coming up with all kinds of creative ways of getting the information out of the unwilling trafficker but nothing could ever prepare him for working with Magnus Bane and it was slowly driving him mad. 

With Magnus, everything was a competition, a challenge. One would always try to outdo the other. They would always try to do the assigned jobs faster or better, seeing who would leave fewer traces, get more intel, damage less equipment in the process or come back with fewer scratches, getting satisfaction out of seeing the other’s annoyed expression. 

But this is not what teamwork is about. It's about knowing each other's weaknesses, strengths and how they balance with yours. It's about knowing them so well you can predict their next step and already having your own actions planned in case they slip up. It's about knowing when to step back and let another person lead, about listening and actually hearing each other. It's important to click with your team, to build that impeccable trust in each other that will allow you to know that whatever happens they won't abandon you when things go south and they won't set you up to save their own skin. 

It was bad enough they were both used to being leaders but they also had to be each other's nemeses. Alec was a professional, he was observant, mentally agile, resolute, but Magnus Bane knew what made him tick and it was driving Alec up the wall. 

The possibility of him and the other agent becoming friends was...unlikely, to put it mildly. He knew he could trust Magnus with the job but could he trust him with his life? Literally speaking. That was the question. 

Little did Alec know Magnus was going through the exact same turmoil in his head right at that moment. 

They stopped in front of their building, knowing they needed to discuss the plan of action. To the random bystander, they looked like common tourists hunched over a map of the city and not two deadly secret agents with their bags full of weapons. There weren't many people on the street but this was part of being a professional, playing a role even with no audience to see it. 

The plan was as simple as day, enter the apartment and see what's inside. The fact that future Alec gave them the address as the starting point, as something that would help them to fill in the blanks, clearly meant that the place wasn't a lair of their target but at the same time it didn't guarantee that the place was safe. 

The address said, “Apartment 58” which was on the top floor of the building. The agents entered the elevator which took them to the 20th floor. The first thing they both noticed was a security camera in the corner, which was nothing uncommon. What was uncommon were the multiple cameras placed across the hallway which only had three doors leading to three different apartments. The building was well secured which gave away the financial status and the significance of its residents. 

_Could they be sent to the place of their fellow agents?_

Apartment 58 was the one on the left. The door didn't look peculiar so it wouldn't be hard to break in if needed. 

Magnus carefully tried the door which didn't budge, unsurprisingly proving to be locked. However, something beeped the second Magnus’ hand was off the handle causing both Alec and Magnus to look around them, hands moving to where their guns were sheathed safely in their jackets only to turn back to the door at hearing the sounds of the locking mechanisms moving out of their sight, as if built-in inside the said door. The noises stopped and Magnus looked at Alec briefly before turning the handle once again, this time easily opening the door. 

They slowly entered the apartment, their guns already raised. If the sounds of the door unlocking were not enough to alert whoever was inside ( _if_ someone was even there) of the intruders, the lights turning on automatically at their presence was definitely a clear sign. 

The hallway was leading to the huge kitchen and to what looked like just as big of a living room. Magnus turned to look back at Alec, who despite all the indications had just closed the door with as minimum noise as possible just to be on the safe side, a matter of habit. 

“Let's look around,” he suggested in a low voice. “Take the kitchen, I’ll take the living room.”

For a second Alec looked like he was about to argue but decided against it, opting for nodding his agreement and heading towards the doorless arc leading to the kitchen. 

Magnus entered the living room, swiftly checking his surroundings for the presence of another person, his gun raised. The room was empty. Magnus took a minute to look around more closely. Space looked modern and cozy. There was an L-shaped sofa in the middle of it standing in front of a glass coffee table and a white expensive looking rug. A huge TV set was embedded within multiple shelves with books, different trinkets and what looked like framed family pictures, it was hard to tell, from where he stood Magnus could only see the silhouettes of people. What drew his attention were the panoramic windows overlooking the city, the Brooklyn Bridge in particular. The apartment was certainly lived in judging by the lack of layers of dust on the surfaces and the jacket that looked like something Magnus would wear on his night off thrown over the back of the couch. It smelled of vanilla and sandalwood candles and barely-there traces of perfume, not the freshly used one but the one that was used so frequently that the place acquired the smell of its owner, a little dulled with time but present in every corner of the apartment. The place didn't just look like a fancy penthouse, it looked like home. What Magnus would give to live in a place like this instead of Idris headquarters. 

Magnus shook his head slightly, brushing off the unwanted dreams and fantasies. It seemed to be something distant, unreachable for the agents like him who devoted their lives to their professions. Magnus knew it from the beginning, everyone knew it, and he was _fine_ with it. Until he wasn't anymore. But this wasn't the time nor the place for such thoughts. 

There was a door next to the wooden chest of drawers, presumably leading to the bedroom, and another one leading to the bathroom. Or at least one of the bathrooms, which could also happen to be another bedroom or a guest room. It was hard to tell in a rich place like this. 

Knowing he had to start somewhere, Magnus slowly came up to the door closer to the windows, trying to make as little noise as he could. Breathe in and then out and repeat. He pushed the door open with full force, causing it to slam against the wall, and found himself in what indeed was a bedroom, pointing his gun at the only person in the room apart from him. But instead of it being some deadly assassin or a fellow agent, a teenage girl stood in front of him, pointing a similar-looking gun back at him.

Her stance was firm and confident as if it wasn't the first time she found herself in a similar situation. She looked determined but the trace of fear in her eyes was unmistakable. The girl was breathing heavily, holding a gun steadily with both of her hands, gaze fixed on Magnus’ face, unmoving. Then suddenly recognition mixed with shock flashed across her face and she slowly lowered her gun. 

“Papa?” 

Magnus instinctively turned around but there was no one behind him and with fear and confusion he noticed the girl looking straight at him. Magnus’ mouth fell open but he didn't make a sound, his widened eyes glued to the girl in front of him, now looking more astonished than frightened. He could hear the sound of Alec's footsteps getting closer but he couldn't quite seem to care or know what to do next, that one word still ringing in his head.

Alec was done checking all other rooms in the apartment, not finding anyone or anything dangerous anywhere. He squeezed into the room, moving around Magnus who was still shocked. “You have a kid?” If Alec's bewildered question was any indication, he had heard that too. 

Alec carefully placed his hand on both of Magnus’, who didn't seem to notice he was still clutching the gun tightly. Magnus clearly hadn’t come back to his senses yet so Alec gently pushed his hands down, lowering the gun for him.

Alec looked around the room, his gaze instantly landed on an enormous bed decorated with cushions and a gold bed cover. The room looked just as expensive and huge as the rest of the apartment. He noticed two laptops lying on nightstands and a huge walk-in closet at the right wall. 

A sharp intake of breath was heard from his left and his head snapped in the direction of the teenager, who looked beyond stunned now. When Alec's eyes met the girls’, he saw her drop the gun to the ground and look him up and down before she uttered hesitantly, “Dad?” 

Alec's world started spinning for a second and he suddenly felt like fainting for the second time that day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> «Something is wrong, I can't explain  
> Everything changed when the birds came  
> You'll never know what they might do if they catch you too early  
> We need to fly ourselves before someone else tells us how  
> Something is off, I feel like prey, I feel like praying.»  
> -The Neighbourhood, Prey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Thank you all for your response to this fic and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
> 
> If you want to live-tweet it, use #OTEONTfic so I could find it. It means a lot to me :)
> 
> Also a big thank you to [Meisha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/banesarchangel), who's beta reading for me <3 Go check out her works!

Alec stood there, speechless. He slowly turned his head to look at Magnus, who was already looking back at him, mirroring his dazed expression. 

If the news about having a child shocked Magnus, the news about having a child with Alec Lightwood of all people left him completely dumbfounded. However, he seemed to be the first one to come back to his senses. He moved towards the bed, “Can I just sit down for a minute?” he mumbled, sitting on the edge. 

The girl looked at him weirdly, “Yeah, I mean it's your bed after all.”

“Don't-” Magnus didn't finish his sentence, holding his hand up in a _please stop_ gesture. 

It was a lot of information to get his head around. He felt like life was either playing some kind of cruel joke on him or he would wake up at any moment and realize it was all just a ridiculous dream. All the things he never let himself think about were right in front of him. He had a home, a child, a family. But with Lightwood? That was the hardest part to believe. 

“You came from the past, didn't you?” 

The girl's words broke Alec out of his own trance. “Yeah,” he whispered, still astonished. 

The teenager was waiting for an explanation but she could clearly see that none of the men were going to tell her much at the moment. “So uh…,” she hesitated, not really knowing what to say in this kind of situation, “do you want to eat anything?” 

There was no answer. 

“Papa?”

Magnus turned his head towards the girl so fast that he almost gave himself whiplash. “Oh no. No, no, no, no, no. No calling me “Papa” or anything like this, okay?” He said sternly, pointing his finger at her. 

“But-”

“Just Magnus is fine.” 

She quirked a brow at him, a gesture that reminded him too much of himself. “Okay, just Magnus.” The girl threw him a weirded out look before turning to Alec. 

“Guess you're just Alec, then,” she stated. Alec managed to nod in reply. 

She sighed deeply. “I know this must be weird for you. _They_ told me all about the time they used to be like this but you're clearly not here on vacation so get yourselves together and come to the kitchen so we can talk.” Both men had their eyebrows raised at the way the girl was talking to them, being the composed and mature one in the situation. “I’m gonna go heat up some food,” she added before heading to the kitchen, leaving two speechless agents alone. 

The initial shock seemed to pass and Alec shook his head as if to clear his head and turn back into his professional self. He was taught to keep his head straight in any situation, even if nothing prepared him for this. He knew they had to talk about this whole having a child together thing no matter how awkward it might be. They needed to get it out of the way to be able to do what they came here to do, do their job. 

“Magnus-”

But the other agent didn't seem to think so. “I’m just gonna use a bathroom,” he blurted out and sprinted for the door on his left, locking it behind himself. 

Alec closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. He didn't have anything else to do but go to the kitchen alone. However, there was something that caught his attention while he was making his way through the living room, family pictures. Alec contemplated for a second if it was a good idea before curiosity won and he moved closer to the shelves to be able to see the images clearly. 

The first picture he took was of him and Magnus pushing a little girl on the swing on the playground. They were both looking at her with unconcealed fondness and love while the girl was laughing happily. 

The next picture seemed to be from the girl’s first day at school, judging by her uniform and a small glittering backpack on her shoulders. There right in front of her was Magnus. He was crouched on the ground, probably in order to be on the same eye level with the child, his hands lightly grasping her arms, his mouth forming words of encouragement, or at least that's how it looked like. A thought that Alec was most likely the one to take that photo was quickly dismissed and shoved into the dark corners of his own brain. 

He moved to look at the contents of the next frame and _oh_ , they were pictures from a photo booth. 

On one of the said pictures Alec and Magnus were looking at each other, smiling. From the first glance Alec could see the happiness overflowing from them, pouring out of them in waves, his own heart clenched, giving a pang of longing in his chest.

His eyes moved to the second picture, in which Magnus had his arm around Alec's shoulders, his head turned towards his husband. Magnus’ eyes were fixed on Alec, and his smile was so wide and genuine it caused small dimples to appear under his eyes. Alec himself was smiling at the camera, looking equally content and carefree.

They didn't look much different from now on the previous pictures but the changes were clearly visible on these ones. Alec had a light stubble and his face was just the tiniest bit rounder, but what struck him the most was the sparkle in his eyes, the one he'd never seen looking at himself in the mirror. He was _glowing_. 

And Magnus...Magnus was still unfairly, effortlessly gorgeous. Alec might not ever admit it to him out loud but he wasn't blind. He always found Magnus beautiful, maybe more beautiful than all the other men he knew. _Too bad he was equally annoying,_ Alec thought. 

The first time Alec saw Magnus they were only seventeen. He remembered entering the training room to see their trainer talking to some guy he hadn’t seen before. The moment Alec's eyes fell on Magnus he was awestruck by his beauty, his sharp facial features, silky raven hair and a body he was sure a guy of only seventeen years shouldn't have.

Needless to say, Alec developed a teeny tiny crush on the new guy, which, as he convinced himself, disappeared as a teasing “Like what you see?” left Magnus’ mouth, accompanied by an arrogant smirk when he noticed Alec staring at him during one of their shooting practices. 

Shaking the memories out of his head, Alec turned to look at the pictures on the lower shelf and the first one he saw made his heart skip a beat. He took the frame to look closer and there was a scene he never would believe he'd see. Magnus and Alec were sitting at the head of the table at some seaside restaurant, surrounded by all of their friends. Isabelle and Jace were there, along with Maia, Simon, Clary, Raphael and Catarina. Age isn't the main difference between them and their future selves, it was joy radiating from every single person at the table. They were talking and laughing and drinking. They looked like a _family_. 

The images he saw before his eyes were something from his long forgotten childhood dreams, banished by years of training and his parents’ brainwashing. Being raised in the family of secret agents, he was taught to push away the hopes and wishes of a happy family as “they would only stand in his way of becoming one of the best agents.” 

It was drilled into his head that emotions were nothing but a distraction, they clouded your judgement, led you astray. His parents might have married and had children but they were never a happy family. Their union was never for love, it was to join forces to bring up another generation of perfect soldiers. The elder Lightwoods always put their duty before everything else, encouraging their children to do the same.

So Alec pushed and pushed until the fantasy of an exuberant family life was nothing more than an illusion, a trick of a confused mind, a myth only children believed in.

But right now, standing in the apartment that felt more like home than his childhood house, looking at the pictures of everything he believed he couldn't have, he didn't notice how his head started filling with “what if”, “maybe” and _“someday”_.  
______

Magnus rushed into the bathroom and straight to the sink to splash his face with some cold water. Everything was just too much. He had been kept captive, had the information beaten out of him (albeit unsuccessfully), was thrown out of moving vehicles, was on the brink of death more than he could count and he had managed to keep his composure, he was trained for that. But never in a hundred years had he imagined himself in a situation like this. 

Once he could think clearly, Magnus automatically took notice of his surroundings, realizing that he was in his future self _and_ his future husband’s bathroom filled with their things. There was a blue makeup bag on the shelf above the sink that drew his attention first. It was filled with different eyeliner, mascara, a highlighter or two, powder and black nail polish. Yeah, that was definitely his. He wondered if the older Magnus would mind him borrowing some of those things during his stay there. 

Looking around, Magnus couldn't help but notice how even the bathroom looked domestic. Two toothbrushes stood in the holder on the sink, two towels were hanging on hooks near the bath, even two razors lying on the shelf reminded him of the fact that his future self wasn't alone. 

Magnus was used to loneliness since his childhood. He was alone after his mother’s death, he was alone when he joined the agency and even now with all the friends he found he was still alone, until suddenly he wasn't. And that wasn't something easy to believe in. 

Magnus’ attitude towards the family life wasn't much different from Alec's. He wasn't forced into it but he quickly learned it was something every agent believed in. 

Saying goodbye to the prospect of a happy family wasn't hard, he never had an example of one in the first place. It didn't feel like losing anything, more like adding another thing to the list of unattainable, along with having a pet and going on a month long vacation. 

His whole world shifted with the realization that at the age of 42 he had everything an average person would want and everything he didn't have, he could get. 

And what was he supposed to do with this information? He had never felt so clueless.  
______

Magnus came into the living room looking and feeling more composed than before to find Alec standing in front of the shelves, his back turned to Magnus. The other agent seemed to be so deep into his own thoughts that he didn't notice Magnus’ presence until he cleared his throat, causing Alec to turn around, one of the pictures still in his hand. 

“We should probably go to the kitchen,” Magnus stated simply. 

Alec looked lost for a second before his features closed up, his face not betraying any trace of emotion anymore. He nodded and turned to put the picture back in its place before silently following Magnus to the kitchen. 

When they entered, the girl was already sitting at the kitchen island with three plates of some five-minute sausage pasta in front of her. Magnus and Alec sat next to each other on the opposite side of the island, taking their plates. 

Despite only having a sandwich early in the morning, Magnus didn't feel like eating at all, feeling like any food he'd try to consume would just get stuck in his throat. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Alec pointlessly picking at his own food, more moving it around the plate than actually eating. 

The silence was deafening. 

“So,” Magnus started. “Where should we start?” 

The girl raised her eyes to look at them.

“Where...where are your parents?” Alec asked hesitantly. It felt weird talking about himself in the third person but he knew it would be even weirder to talk about future Magnus and himself in the first one. 

“They left for a mission a couple of days ago. It's not an unusual occurrence. They do take on more paperwork nowadays but they still go into the field from time to time, and when they do, it takes days. That's why I didn't expect anyone to come,” the girl explained nonchalantly. 

“Do you know what the mission is?” Magnus didn't feel comfortable interrogating a child but they needed to know as much as they could.

She shrugged. “I know it's in Beijing. Probably taking down another mob or something.” 

So the mission had nothing to do with their current one. 

Alec threw Magnus a quick glance as if asking if he came to the same conclusion. “Do you know anything about Sebastian Morgenstern?” 

“Heard them mention the name once, nothing else,” she replied, putting another forkful of pasta in her mouth. “They don't tell me much details about their job. The less I know, the safer I am.”

“Well, that's the right mindset,” Alec commented under his breath.

“Of course you'd think so. Those are your exact words,” she said in a mocking way, causing Magnus to snort. 

Alec glared at him before continuing, “And they just leave you here alone for days?” 

“They do now when I’m older.” She looked at the agents’ unconvinced expressions. “I have everything I need here _and_ I can take care of myself,” she assured them. 

That didn't seem to convince Magnus much. “You sure you're safe here alone?” 

“You shouldn't underestimate yourself and the technology of the future,” she stressed, rolling her eyes. “This apartment is well equipped.”

“We have alarms and automatic light control sensors in our time too,” Magnus scoffed.

The girl looked at him pointedly. “I was talking about the touch ID fingerprint sensor at the back of the door handle and the face ID camera in the peephole, which not only projects the image on the screen in the wall by the door but can also be accessed from laptops and mobile phones of the owners,” she listed in a casual way. 

Magnus and Alec sat there with their mouths hanging open, both rendered speechless. 

“How else did you think you managed to enter?” she asked the two dumbstruck agents.

“Definitely not like this,” retorted Magnus.

“So this means only people who are given access can unlock it?” Alec's brain felt like overloading with all the information he was getting in one day but he was determined to find out and remember as much as he could, he was basically programmed to do so.

“It only opens to you and me without a key, others would need to have a key and pass the face and touch ID control,” the young girl said, motioning with her fork in between bites of pasta. 

Magnus turned to look at Alec. “Welcome to the future,” he exclaimed with mock happiness, to which Alec just huffed.

“Now you believe that we all are safe here?”

“Yeah, that’s...impressive,” Alec replied, genuinely impressed.

Silence filled the room and all that could be heard were the sounds of a clock and chewing of the only person who was eating. Looking at the agents, the girl could see their minds went elsewhere and they weren’t gonna talk again any time soon so she decided to ease the tension. 

“So,” she exclaimed excitedly, pushing her plate away and folding her arms on her chest, “do you wanna see the wedding pictures?”

The chorus of hurried “No!” and “Oh, God, no!” echoed through the apartment, causing her to snort and shake her head at the men in front of her. 

“How about we all just go to sleep now and you tell me all about why you're here in the morning?” She suggested while putting her plate into the sink and covering the other two with a plastic wrap before putting them into the fridge, refraining from commenting on the fact that none of the agents ate their food.

“That’s probably the best idea,” Magnus exhaled tiredly, “this all is already too much.” 

And this is where the problem arose, causing Alec to panic internally. Sleeping in their future selves’ bed would be weird on its own and sleeping in their future selves’ bed with _Magnus?_ Yeah, there's no way in hell. 

“Where can we sleep?” he managed to croak out, trying and failing not to sound nervous. 

“Oh, you can take the guest room,” she replied, motioning towards one of the doors in the hallway. 

Alec saw this room while doing his checkup and he was entirely sure it only had one bed as well. 

Magnus seemed to catch up with Alec's thoughts as he turned to look at his partner to find him already looking back with unsure eyes while the girl was staring at both of them with amusement, her eyes flicking from one agent to the other. 

“Right,” she chuckled, being far too entertained by the present circumstances. “Figure out your sleeping arrangements on your own. I’m out,” she sing-songy before scurrying to her own room, leaving the two agents in awkward silence. 

“I’ll just take the couch in the living room,” Alec stated, wishing to get it over with as soon as possible. 

“Oh, please. _I’ll_ take the couch,” Magnus countered, causing Alec to narrow his eyes at him in confusion. 

The couch in the living room might be pretty wide and soft but due to being L-shaped it wasn't that long as to accommodate those couple of inches Alec had on Magnus, and Magnus just didn't want a groggy, cranky partner who got himself back pains instead of sleep. They had a job to do, both of them, he should just prioritize that. This is all it was about. 

Alec raised his brows at him in question. 

“What? I like the view from the living room windows better,” he explained with a bit too much defensiveness in his voice for it to sound casual. 

The other agent looked at him like he suddenly grew a second head before leaving to pick up his bags and going to settle in the guest room.  
______

Lying awake at night came natural to Magnus. He didn't expect to fall asleep quickly after everything that happened. He started the day in his own bed in the agency and ended it on the couch in his older self’s living room. Absolutely ridiculous. If someone had told Magnus he would end up in such a situation a day ago, he would’ve laughed in their faces and advised they take a walk. 

He feared the morning as it would inevitably lead to Alec and him having a deep, serious conversation about their little predicament and Magnus simply didn't know what to say. 

He tried switching his mind off, opting for breathing exercises instead. But every breath he took reminded him of the fact that he was in someone else's but at the same time, technically in his own home, surrounded by the pictures of someone else's but _his own_ family, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't wrap his head around this. 

Magnus felt like he didn't deserve the sense of comfort this apartment provided him with, like he didn't have a right to feel it, as if he was stealing it from someone else. 

Behind the closed door Alec’s mind was reeling with the same thoughts.  
______

Magnus woke up to the sounds of cluttering and grunting coming from the kitchen along with a mouth-watering smell of fried bacon and eggs. The clock said it was a bit over 10am, which was late for Magnus and any other agent on a working day. 

He hissed, feeling a dull pain run down his back when he stood up. The couch wasn't the most uncomfortable surface Magnus had to sleep on, definitely better than falling asleep tied to a chair in someone's hotel room, but it also wasn't the most comfortable. 

Standing in the bathroom of the main bedroom, he looked at himself in the mirror. Despite sleeping in, he still looked worn out, more emotionally than physically since his mind just wouldn't shut up. 

After taking about ten minutes to change and put on a mask of composure, Magnus walked into the kitchen and was greeted with a sight of Alec bouncing around from one pan to the other, from the toaster to the coffee machine.

He didn't notice Magnus’ presence at first so Magnus just observed his new partner for a while before clearing his throat.

“Oh, you're awake.” Alec threw Magnus a glance of acknowledgment and Magnus noticed that Alec didn't look much better himself. 

“Morning,” he mumbled, shuffling towards the fridge. 

He didn't know what he expected to find there but it wasn't a sticky note on a jar of Hartley’s cherry jam, saying “If I come home to find that my share of jam had grown legs and walked off again, you'll owe me twice as much ;)”. 

Seeing a note written in a painfully familiar handwriting, Magnus forgot what he was even looking for. He huffed and closed the fridge door with a loud bang.

“Quiet, Ami is still sleeping,” Alec reprimanded him as he turned to give him a death stare. 

Magnus went to sit at the kitchen island, and passing by the stove where Alec was courageously dodging the attacks of the oil raining on him from one of the pans, he noted that the amount of food being made was definitely too much even for one starving person. 

Maybe being paired up with Alec Lightwood had its own privileges after all. 

Magnus was about to offer his help with food when something made his mind stop reeling and focus on one particular detail he had missed. He winced as the realization struck him. Alec said “Ami”, that was the name of the girl. 

In the middle of the chaos that was his mind yesterday, he didn't even think about this basic piece of information any adequate person would ask first thing after meeting someone new. _And he was supposed to be a father in the future?_ The thought was forced out of his head just as quickly as it got its way into it. 

“How do you know her name?” 

Alec wordlessly approached a windowsill, taking something from it. He came up to Magnus and placed an old folded scruffy piece of paper in front of him, a handmade postcard. There in a child’s crooked handwriting was written “from: Ami” and a little bit lower “to: dads”. Magnus didn't need more explanation. The very thought was disturbing. 

He didn't feel like opening it so he put it back on the table, raising his eyes back to Alec.

“You went through their stuff?” he asked, sounding more scandalized than necessary.

“Technically, I went through my own stuff,” Alec retorted, earning himself a pointed glare from Magnus. 

Not knowing what to do with himself, Magnus stood up to get some plates and cups from the cupboard. “Find anything interesting?” he asked, turning to the other man.

Alec's gaze dropped to the floor and his cheeks got that rosy color that made him look illegally adorable. 

_So he did find something._ Magnus wasn't sure he wanted to know.

“Nothing work related,” came Alec's resigned reply. “They must keep everything in their laptops,” he added, flipping a piece of bacon on the pan.

Having laid the table for three, Magnus sat back down to put some butter on the toast that Alec made. “We’ll deal with this later.” 

Despite having a lot to talk about, both men clearly didn't want to bring it up now, putting it off as long as possible. The silence in the kitchen was only broken by the faint scratching of the spatula against the pan and the dull sound of a knife sliding across the toast..Though, nothing was louder than Magnus’ thoughts. 

Sitting at the kitchen island making toast while Alec was cooking eggs with bacon for the three of them at 10am in the morning, Magnus couldn't help but feel...normal. Like he was a normal person having a regular breakfast with his ordinary family. 

The problem was, normalcy was never a part of Magnus’ life. And especially there was nothing normal about his current situation. It was all too normal to be _normal_ for him. The whole scene was, dare he say, domestic, which is not something he was used to having in his life. In fact, the feeling was so foreign for Magnus to the point it scared him. 

From the corner of his eye he cast a look at Alec, who was wearing a casual white t-shirt that hugged his arms and upper body in all the right places and a pair of grey sweatpants that clung to his legs, accentuating his delectable-

Magnus choked at his own thoughts, coughing into the napkin to muffle the breathless noises. 

The sudden need to break the silence and turmoil in his own head lead Magnus to say the first thing he could think of. “Also, Ami?” He asked, scrunching up his nose. “You must have been the one to insist on this name,” he asserted, causing Alec to turn away from the stove to look at him with his eyebrows raised. “It's so plain.”

Right when Alec opened his mouth, no doubt a witty comeback at the tip of his tongue, another voice coming from the archway beat him to it, “What's plain?” 

“Oh, nothing,” Magnus replied hastily. “You want some toast?” 

Ami looked at him with disbelieve but decided to let it go. “Yes, please.”

Alec came up to the table with two cups of coffee and a glass of apple juice that he pushed across the surface towards the girl. Lost in his own thoughts, he proceeded to finish their coffees, adding milk and two lumps of sugar to one of them while leaving the other one black. 

After putting Magnus’ cup in front of him Alec watched him take a testing sip before his eyebrows rose so high they could easily get lost in his hairline. 

“Since when do you know how I take my coffee?” 

“A lucky guess,” the words tumbled out of Alec in a hurry before he turned back to the stove to hide a blush coloring the edges of his cheekbones. 

Magnus narrowed his eyes at him before going back to the toast, knowing he wouldn't get an honest answer out of him.

Alec put a plate filled with bacon on the table and started serving eggs, first to Ami, then to Magnus and then himself. 

He was in the middle of taking a sip of his coffee when he noticed Magnus absentmindedly putting pieces of bacon on the toast while animatedly chatting with Ami about whether the new equipment allowed agents to have wings attached to their suits or not. 

Alec started wondering if Magnus ate his toast just exactly as he did, but then the said toast was absentmindedly pushed in his direction and the roles were reversed.  
______

Magnus realized what he'd done only when he felt Alec's gaze bore into him from his left. Ami kept speaking but her words went past Magnus as he searched his traitorous mind for an explanation, mentally slapping himself. 

Not for the life of him would Magnus admit that every time the moment the eldest Lightwood walked into the cafeteria his eyes were instantly drawn to him. Nothing could make Magnus confess to _unintentionally_ watching Alec from the next table over Maia’s shoulder, only half listening to what his team was saying. 

Between openly staring at the guy and stealing glances that instantly turned into glares the second Alec would meet his eyes, Magnus didn't realize when he memorized Alec's food preferences by heart, paying more attention to him piling his toast with salad, cheese and bacon than to his own cooling toast. 

No one could blame him, though, the guy was a walking sin, Magnus just couldn't help but stare at him _against his will,_ while the other one wasn't looking. 

By the time Magnus remembered Alec was still waiting for an answer to his silent question, Ami had already stopped talking and joined Alec's confused stare. 

To his further embarrassment, Magnus opened his mouth but for the lack of explanation that wouldn't make him look like a fool, a high pitched keening sound left his mouth, causing Ami to snort and get back to her food while Alec decided to take pity on Magnus and do the same. 

Letting out a breath of relief, the agent took a few seconds to ponder on the fact that he was so close to giving away his ever growing attraction to his new partner. It was only physical, though, he told himself. 

Even Magnus couldn't deny Alec Lightwood was a stunner, with his dreamy hazel eyes, long eyelashes, thick eyebrows with a scar cutting through one of them, that only added to his unfair beauty, dark messy hair and those full peachy lips that were begging Magnus to bite them and- 

“So,” Ami said suddenly, breaking Magnus out of his spiraling thoughts. “Are you gonna tell me why you're here now?” 

Right, they had a job to do. 

“I’m not sure we should be telling you much about this mission,” Alec pondered. 

“If I don't know anything, I won't be able to help,” Ami shrugged. 

No matter how strong it went against their beliefs, the girl had a point, they might need her help. 

“All you need to know right now is that Sebastian Morgenstern is going to take some people hostages within the next two weeks’ and wage a war on Idris that will lead to the unimaginable. All we have is a deadline to save those people, whoever they are and however many of them there is, and a place where they'll be held. Nothing else,” Alec explained. 

“This is not much. You'll have to figure out a lot of stuff on your own here. It can't be that easy,” Ami pointed out, her expression serious, brows knitted in thought. 

All three of them were staring at the tabletop blankly, trying to calculate their next step. 

“Use their laptops,” she finally suggested, raising her eyes at them. “If they know about that Sebastian guy holding grudges against Idris, they must have something on him in their archive files. His headquarters address, personal information on him and his corporation,” the girl elaborated. 

Magnus couldn't help but feel impressed by the way Ami talked about business. She sounded like an adult, at the same time not losing the air of lightheartedness that was so typical for kids her age. 

“You do seem to know quite a lot for a fourteen year old,” Magnus remarked. 

“It runs in the family, _duh,_ ” she announced before sipping her juice dramatically. 

Magnus felt the corners of his mouth turn up and saw Alec's lips spreading into a small smile against his own will. 

“Right,” Alec said with a hint of amusement, “we’ll do that.” 

Ami nodded. “Now there are some more things you need to know about this apartment building.” 

Magnus gulped, that sounded both scary and intriguing at the same time. 

“We have an underground garage, the door on the left leads to a private gym, also there's a swimming pool opened for all the residents anytime on the top floor, and an access to the rooftop,” she said matter-of-factly. 

“Oh wow, okay,” Alec mumbled. Their new living arrangements didn't cease to amaze both of the agents. 

“Why don't we go to the gym first,” Magnus suggested, getting up to clean the dishes. “Clear our heads before diving into work.” 

“That might be a good idea,” Alec agreed without thinking much. 

“You do that, you have plenty of time anyway,” Ami approved. “I’m just gonna go do my homework.”

This is when it struck them.

Alec was the one to voice their shared thoughts, “You go to school?”

Ami quirked her eyebrows. “Uh...yes?”

Both Alec and Magnus felt like facepalming because of course this is something every normal child did.

“Do you want one of us to walk you there?” Alec asked hesitantly.

Judging by Ami’s horrified face, this wasn't the right question to ask. “Thanks, but no thanks. I can walk by myself,” she assured the two men, who stood there looking out of place with all this parenting stuff.

Looking at their uncertain faces, Ami chuckled, “Don't worry, I always walk there myself, it's not that far away. You won't get your noses broken by my parents when they get back.”

That sounded reassuring. The last thing Magnus would want was getting his ass kicked by his older self. He knew better than anyone he had a sick right hook. 

“Go change into your workout clothes, I’ll clean up,” said Ami, rushing them out of the kitchen. 

The short time spent with her taught the agents one thing - there's no arguing with this young feisty girl. They exchanged glances and sharp nods before leaving to the separate bathrooms to change their clothes.  
______

15 minutes later they were standing in the garage, gaping at the shining white Lamborghini Aventador S and a black Mercedes Benz G550 occupying most of the space. Sure, they had their share of expensive cars to drive during missions but actually owning one? That was new. 

Picking their jaws off the floor, Magnus and Alec walked up to the metal sliding door and straight into the gym. 

The gym wasn't huge but it had all the equipment needed for agent’s home training. There in the right far corner hung a leather clad punching bag, next to it stood another one, that one was man shaped, the dummy MMA fighters always use in their training. 

There were two bull’s-eyes hanging on the wall in front of them, and the center of the room was covered in thick blue landing mats for sparring. Turning to their left, they noticed a chest of drawers standing in the closest corner with a water cooler on top of it.

The wall to their right was filled with all sorts of training weapons and Magnus walked up to see quarterstaffs, butterfly swords and even bows and arrows.

While Magnus was inspecting the wall Alec decided to look through the contents of the drawers. He wasn't surprised to find three pairs of boxing gloves and several hand wraps along with some fresh towels in the top drawer. The middle one was filled with throw knives, chakrams, which are circular weapons with a sharpened outer edge, and shurikens, also known as throwing or ninja stars. 

Alec was just about to crouch to open the lower drawer when he saw Magnus’ shadow approaching him from his left. It was a second between Alec’s turning around and Magnus’ throwing a wooden staff at him that allowed Alec to swiftly catch it in his hand and spin it. One second less and it would have hit him right in the face, bless his agent reflexes.

“Up for a challenge?” Magnus smirked at him. 

Alec was never one to back out of a challenge. Smirking back at Magnus, he moved towards the mats. Subconsciously, he knew it was Magnus’ way of avoiding _the_ conversation but he couldn't help but indulge him just for a little while before he would confront him. 

“You know, you can't avoid this conversation forever,” he pointed out, walking to the edge of the mats. “You can't-” his thought was rudely interrupted by Magnus landing the first hit that Alec barely managed to block. 

“Okay, let's do it your way,” he hissed before charging back at Magnus. 

The second Alec's staff cut the air an inch away from his face, Magnus felt a rush of adrenaline running through his body, casing a satisfied smile to crawl up his face. 

From the opposite side of the mat Alec was stretching his neck. Magnus used the moment to dart forward with his staff raised, lowering it to charge for his opponent’s legs last minute. Alec flew up in the air, leaping over the stick and retaliated the attack. 

The next few jabs were expertly dodged and blocked until Alec poked one of Magnus’ exposed legs with his foot causing Magnus to look down. Realizing his mistake, Magnus looked back up to be faced with the tip of Alec's stick a hairbreadth away from the bridge of his nose. 

“I know it's awkward and it messes with my head too, but we can't pretend nothing's out of the ordinary anymore,” Alec breathed out. 

Magnus pushed the staff away from his face before surging forward, striking at Alec’s left foot and sweeping his right leg from underneath him. Next second he had Alec flat on his back, staring at the end of the staff in front of his face, Magnus towering over him. 

“I don't know how that could happen and I really don't feel like pondering on it more than necessary,” Magnus retorted before retreating to the other side of the mat. 

Alec rose back to his feet. “You can't ignore the fact that we're married with a kid,” he bit out. 

“Watch me,” Magnus whispered, something dangerous flicking in his eyes.

Alec shook his head in exasperation. He lunged at Magnus, aiming for his shoulder. Magnus ducked and proceeded to counter attack with short sharp strikes. 

Alec blocked each and every one of Magnus’ blows before the other agent aimed for his throat and Alec had to parry the attack by holding his staff vertically and arching his back to move his neck away from the weapons. 

Alec was breathing heavily, drops of sweat rolling down the sides of his face. “You can't run away from the future,” he croaked out, which only made Magnus press forward with more force, pushing Alec a step back. 

“This can't be my future,” Magnus growled, getting in Alec's face. “I could never have any of this.” He pressed harder, causing Alec’s legs to wobble. 

Alec pushed Magnus’ staff sideways, losing his balance and landed on one knee on the floor. Magnus span his stick around before holding it in front of Alec's face again, his own stick held in one hand against the back of his neck.

“Especially not with you,” Magnus scoffed. 

Grabbing the staff in front of him, Alec charged at Magnus’ abdomen, making him crouch over, giving Alec an opportunity to rip his weapon out of his hands, leaving him crouching on the floor completely defenseless. 

“This is not some alternative universe, Magnus,” he argued. “This is the reality.”

He stepped away from Magnus, who gracefully rose back to his feet, and threw both of their staff’s to the side. 

“Oh, it's on, Lightwood,” Magnus sneered. 

He surged forward at the same time Alec did, parraying his punch with his left hand as he redirected Alec's cross attack with the other one. Magnus put pressure on Alec's neck and pushed him into a crouch, locking one of his arms behind his back. 

Magnus himself was dripping with sweat, his soaked tank top clinging to his body. 

He bent down to get closer to his opponent’s ear. “We will do our job and go back to living our lives. Going our own ways, as always.”

In one swift movement Alec dropped to the floor, pulling Magnus down with him. They rolled on the mat until Magnus pushed back to his feet only to trap Alec's still lying body between his legs, blocking one of his arms while pressing the side of his face to the floor. 

“What, nothing left to say?” 

Almost animalistic growl ripped out of Alec's throat and Magnus barely managed to register his movements before he was manhandled back to the ground and trapped in a headlock, his back pressed to Alec's body. 

“I know you're afraid of getting attached, we all are,” Alec stated in a hoarse voice. 

Magnus lunged his body to the side, causing Alec to fly off him and land a few inches away. Next thing he knew, he had Alec pinned to the ground, straddling his waist as he held both of Alec's wrists against the floor above his head. 

“You don't have any clue what I feel,” he practically growled. “You don't know anything about me.”

Alec looked him straight in the eyes with wild determination, as if he wasn't the one pressed to the ground with another body on top of him. “Still avoiding the topic,” he whispered breathlessly. 

“What do you want me to say?!” Magnus exclaimed, his voice laced with desperation. “That I’ve never wanted a family because I’m scared of getting too attached to people for fear of them being ripped away from me? That I don't want to let people in because I’m scared of giving them the power to break me?” He was leaning lower with each word, closer to Alec's face. “That I can't let myself hope for a happy ending because I swore off it when I became an agent?” His face was inches away from Alec's now and the other man could feel his hot ragged breath on his own face. Magnus’ voice was getting quieter, laced with emotions. “Or maybe that I won't let myself love anyone because I don't know how it feels to be loved back?” 

They were both panting in each other's faces and Magnus realized he was unconsciously clutching at the neck of Alec's t-shirt.

Alec was stunned into silence. His features softened and he was looking at Magnus as if seeing him in a new light for the first time. 

Hundreds of thoughts running through his head and only one was stuck at the front of it, _maybe we're not so different._

Right when Alec was about to say something, the sound of the door being pushed opened made them turn their heads towards it. 

Ami was standing in the doorway, frozen at seeing them in such an interesting position.

“Came to check if you two killed each other but I see you're doing just fine,” she teased in her usual manner. 

She walked inside and leaned against the wall, crossing her hands on her chest as she looked at them pointedly.

Hearing a strained whimper coming from below him, Magnus turned back to look down at Alec. It took him more time than he'd admit to realize he was now casually sitting back on top of Alec like there was no other place he'd rather sit, putting all his weight onto the man. 

He hurried to get back on his feet before holding out a hand to help Alec stand up, hoping Alec could read more than just a peace offer in his eyes. 

By the time they were both on their feet, Ami was already standing in front of another wall, picking up two shorter staffs and spinning them in her hands like she was born with the skill. 

“What are you doing?” Magnus asked, confused.

“I was bored,” she shrugged, moving towards the mats. “You're not completely spent yet, are you?” she wondered, asking no one in particular. 

Alec's eyes widened a fraction, his brows going up. “You want us to fight you?”

“What, you're scared of a teenage girl?” she prompted, cocking her head to the side. 

_Unbelievable,_ Alec thought. “You sound just like Magnus,” he huffed, shaking his head. 

“Oh, I wonder why,” she threw back with sarcasm. 

Picking up his own staff off the floor, Alec stepped back onto the mat. 

He didn't even get to blink before a wooden stick collided with his side while another one swept him off his feet, making him collapse to the ground with a loud smack echoing across the place. 

Magnus’ shocked gasp could be heard in the otherwise silent gym and the next minute his hearty ear-piercing laughter rang through the room, bouncing off the walls. 

“A fourteen year old got you on your back in the first two seconds,” he squealed. 

From his position on the floor Alec turned to look at Magnus, who was now sitting on a bench, to see him howling hysterically and clutching at his stomach. And seeing Magnus so unguardedly joyful, Alec couldn't make himself be mad at him. Instead, he felt his own lips spread into a smile. 

Ami was standing above him, her eyes darting from Magnus to Alec before settling on him. “That's all you got?” She challenged, smirking down at him. “Come on, don't go easy on me.” 

Scrambling back to his feet for what felt like the hundredth time that day, Alec rolled his shoulders and flew towards the girl. She blocked his attack with both of her staff’s, pushing his one to the side before going for a counter attack. 

Alec had to parry multiple downward strikes while simultaneously ducking under the stick repeatedly flying dangerously close to his head. Blocking the double blow, he pushed back in retaliation. 

Not being used to such a lightweight fighting partner, he pushed just a bit too hard, which ended with Ami tumbling down to the mat with a screech. 

Heart skipping a beat, Alec hurried over to help her stand back up, supporting her while she was recovering from the hard fall. 

“You okay?” he asked, concern evident in his voice.

Ami straightened up and her previously disoriented face turned into the one of a steadfast determination. “I can do this all day,” she smirked. 

From his place by the wall Magnus chuckled and sat back down on the bench, having previously automatically stood up upon seeing the girl collapse. 

Another ten minutes later Alec was put on his butt again, too worn out to stand up and continue the fight this time. 

Ami jokingly poked him in the ribs with a stick and Alec's body shriveled up on the floor. 

“I give up! I give up!” He chanted, patting the floor mat in a sign of surrender. 

Magnus walked up to them and looked down at Alec, who was trying to catch his breath, before grinning at Ami. “You kicked his ass!” he exclaimed, sounding way too pleased. 

From where he was sprawled on the floor Alec heard more than saw them high five, gloating at his defeat. His affronted groan seemed to draw their attention back to him as they both grabbed his hands, pulling him back to his feet.

“Come on, you two. Fun time is over,” Magnus announced, giving them both clean towels he got from one of the drawers. “The world needs saving.” 

With this, he turned around and started making his way out of the gym, the other two following closely behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think here in comments and come scream at me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/alightbane) <3
> 
> Also tell me your favorite lines/moments or the things that stuck with you the most, I'd really appreciate it :)
> 
> Till the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All I knew this morning when I woke  
> Is I know something now I didn't before  
> And your smile in the back of my mind making me feel like  
> I just want to know you better, know you better now  
> 'Cause all I know is we said hello  
> And your eyes look like coming home  
> You'll be mine and I'll be yours  
> All I know since yesterday is everything has changed  
> -Everything Has Changed by Taylor Swift feat. Ed Sheeran

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, y'all!  
> I'm finally back with a new chapter that took me more time to finish than I expected due to my holidays and post-holidays depression.  
> I don't know how often I'll manage to update since I'm going to practice in September and then back to studying right away, but I'll try to write any chance I get. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and don't forget to use #OTEONTfic if you live-tweet it! Your reactions and feedback mean a lot to me :) 
> 
> Huge thank you to [Meisha](https://twitter.com/banesarchangel) for helping me with this fic, as always <3

Standing under the hot spray of water, Alec couldn't get Magnus’ words out of his head. It was like an eruption waiting to happen, an outburst of all the pent up emotions he’d been keeping in his head. 

_“You don't have any clue what I feel,”_ Magnus’ frustrated voice rang in his ears. _“You don't know anything about me.”_

The words didn't hurt, they didn't even sting. The tiny drop of sandalwood shampoo he stole from the main bathroom that accidentally found a way into his eye stung more than those words. Alec knew they were nothing but a blunt truth. 

Now that he thought about it, he’s known Magnus for seven years but did he really _know him?_

He was 24 years old, Alec's age. He knew Magnus was an agent by choice, not by descent, which made him a rare specimen in the agency. He took his coffee with milk and two lumps of sugar and fought Jace until his dying breath for the last piece of bacon in the cafeteria. He was a great leader and an equally great friend from what Isabelle had told him. 

Magnus Bane was sociable and straightforward while managing to stay a mystery to everyone. He was the center of attention during any public gathering, work-related or not, a complete opposite of Alec, who preferred to stay out of sight and attract as little attention as possible.

All eyes would be locked on Magnus and all ears would be tuned to the wave of his smooth voice. Magnus would always stay in the spotlight, indulging people in his exciting stories, while Alec would blend with the crowd where each and every person would be fascinated by Magnus and his ability to charm anyone without putting an ounce of effort into it. 

Everybody knew who Magnus Bane was but nobody really knew him. 

Not even his closest friends knew about his past. It wasn't hard to guess that it wasn't a pleasant story, the one Magnus never mentioned to anyone. Telling stories of all kinds of stalemates his work forced him into came naturally to Magnus, laughing around about his first years of training was a usual thing in conversations and he never shied away from spilling some embarrassing details about his occasional love escapades.

But it was as if the life before the agency never even existed. Isabelle was one of the people who tried to break the seal he put on that part of his life but unsuccessfully.

Despite his curiosity, Alec never pressed her for information about Magnus, not wanting to make his sister betray Magnus’ trust. It didn't mean he never prodded her in the right direction to learn bits and pieces about the mystery man, though. 

Somewhere in between a thumping of water drops against the tiles of the guest room shower and a thumping of his heart beating in his chest  
Alec found himself thinking he wouldn't mind learning more about Magnus and his past.  
______

Alec turned off the water and stepped out of the shower when a loud sound of something breaking and someone screaming rang through the apartment. His instincts kicking in, Alec grabbed the towel, wrapped it around his middle and wrenched the door open, running to find the source of the commotion. 

Some shuffling and murmuring coming from the main bedroom automatically lead Alec towards it. Stepping into the room, he was faced with a scene that made him let out a breath of relief and run a hand through his dripping wet hair. 

Magnus was standing by one of the nightstands, looking down at what used to be a lamp, now lying completely shattered on the floor. Not far away, Ami was standing by the bed, holding a scared-looking furball to her chest. 

Alec's eyes darted from one person to another, pieces coming together in his head. 

“What the hell happened?” he asked purely to confirm his theory. 

“Magnus scared Zeus and he dropped the lamp while trying to run away,” Ami explained. 

Magnus huffed incredulously, “I scared him? He's the one who scared the shit out of me! I didn't even know there was a cat!” he exclaimed, ignoring Alec's muttered warning of “language”. 

“Guess I forgot to tell you,” Ami shrugged innocently. 

“This little thing is Zeus?” Alec asked, locking his eyes on a tiny munchkin cat sitting comfortably in Ami’s arms. 

“Yeah, we got him not so long ago,” she replied, scratching the cat behind his ear, making him purr.

Alec opened his mouth but whatever he was about to say got lost on him the moment he turned back to Magnus and his eyes fell on his bare chest. Swept up by adrenaline of a false scare, Alec didn't even notice Magnus’ outfit, which only consisted of a pair of grey sweatpants hanging low on his waist. 

Magnus was obviously fresh out of the shower as well. His wet hair was dripping water down his face and on his muscled shoulders. Alec followed the movement of a water droplet with his eyes, going down Magnus’ smooth skin to his toned pecs and then lower to the six-pack every person could only dream of, until it disappeared under the waistband of his pants, causing Alec to gulp and raise his eyes back to Magnus’ chest. 

Alec felt a blush crawling up the back of his neck. Not being able to look Magnus in the eyes, Alec opted for fixing his eyes on Magnus’ huge biceps, which wasn't the best idea, now that he thought about it. Magnus had nice arms, very nice arms, indeed. The arms that could pick Alec up with no trouble and just- Alec tore his gaze away from Magnus’ body, blinking rapidly as if it would help him come back to his senses. 

Raising his eyes to seek Magnus’ reaction, Alec was surprised to find Magnus’ eyes locked on his own bare chest, absolutely oblivious to the other agent’s staring. Magnus’ lips were parted an inch and he seemed to stop breathing, which made Alec painfully aware of his own state of undress. 

He was still dripping wet from head to heels, a small pool of water forming under his feet. A white terry towel was the only thing covering his body and separating him from completely embarrassing himself in front of his partner, their future kid and apparently their future _munchkin._

“Ehem, if you two are done staring at each other,” came Ami’s amused remark. “Those shards won't pick themselves up,” she said pointedly before leaving the room but not without throwing a look at them over her shoulder first. 

Alec could bet all the money he didn't have he was red like a tomato and it wasn't only his face that was burning hot but also his still very exposed chest, which brought him back to… Right, Magnus.

Clearing his throat, Alec turned his eyes back to the other agent, who seemed to have got himself together by now. 

“Did you really get scared by this tiny cat?” Alec teased him for the lack of better things to say.

Magnus glared at him. “Were you really gonna save us naked, with only a bathroom towel covering your modesty?”

“I let you know I could save you in any state of undress and still be so brilliant at it, you'd thank me,” he bit back. 

“Well, we have yet to test that,” Magnus said nonchalantly. 

Alec was lost for words, just opening and closing his mouth like a fish with no sounds coming out until Ami’s voice coming from the living room cut through the silence. 

“First of all, ew! Second, a dustpan and a brush are in the cabinet in the bathroom, bottom shelf,” she shouted. 

Alec looked at Magnus, who was shaking his head fondly, a small smile tugging at his lips. 

“And put on some shirts, both of you!” 

Alec snorted and rolled his eyes before heading to the bathroom, but Magnus stopped him with a hand on his arm. 

“I’ll clean it up,” he assured him. “You go put some clothes on,” he pointed out, looking Alec up and down once more. 

Another blush started creeping up Alec's body and before Magnus could notice it Alec nodded sharply and turned around to leave for the guest bedroom, his wet feet making smacking sounds against the floor.  
______

Fifteen minutes later Magnus was handing a closed black laptop to Alec before turning around and plunging himself on the bed, making himself comfortable.

Alec quirked an eyebrow at him in question. 

“What? Aren't you the computer genius here?” Magnus shrugged. “Go on, hack it and we'll see where we should go first from there,” he waved him off. 

“You admit I’m better than you? Unbelievable.” 

“In all this hacking stuff,” Magnus said pointedly. “I’m still better at imitating different accents and plenty of other stuff.” 

Alec rolled his eyes at his partner, who was currently busy examining his nails to seem nonchalant. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.” 

Magnus was right though, Alec was more comfortable behind the computer than he ever was behind a gun. Hacking into literally anything and gaining security clearances were no problem for him. 

However, being a field agent he didn't have a choice but to become one with any weapon he ever held in his hand. Alec learned to think of his weapon as an extension of his arm and relegated his technology skills to the background. There were more than enough IT personnel in Idris, but field agents as good as Alec Lightwood? Those were rare. 

Of course, his job required this knowledge to be put to use at times and it only made Alec all the more valuable asset. And now having the ever-competitive Magnus Bane admit Alec's superiority in something? That did things to his ego. 

Opening the laptop to see a password box glowing in the middle of the screen didn't come as a surprise to Alec. What did come as a surprise, however, was putting in a drive that was supposed to give Alec access to the algorithm of the password that he would study and decode only to see a whole screen full of a programming language he’d never seen in his life. 

“Well fuck,” he muttered quietly.

“Language!” came Ami’s scandalized reproach from the living room. 

_Maybe not so quiet then._

Magnus rose from the bed to come closer to the big vanity table Alec was sitting at. “What's wrong?”

“I can't hack it,” the agent stated simply. 

“And here I was calling you a computer genius,” Magnus sighed. 

Alec threw him a death glare. “I can't know the programming language of the future, Magnus.”

All the teasing and sarcasm left Magnus at once. “What do you suggest we do now? We need to get inside this thing, it's our starting point.” 

Alec raised his eyes to meet Magnus’, knowing he already had an answer to that question but didn't want to acknowledge that it was their only way.

“No,” Magnus whispered, clearly knowing where it was going. 

“Yep, now we guess,” Alec announced what they were both thinking, causing Magnus to groan. “It's better if you take your laptop as well. We’ll put different variations of possible passwords in both of them, maybe something will fit one or the other. Increase the chances.” 

Bringing another chair and sitting at the side of the table, Magnus voiced the concern that was eating at him, “And if we don't guess it?”

He could hear Alec's breath hitch before he gulped audibly, the fear of letting down the whole world was building up in the pit of his stomach.

“Let's hope we know ourselves well enough.”  
______

One hour and a hundred tries later they still had nothing. They had tried all the combinations for a safe password they were taught at the agency they could remember and Magnus’ brain cells were fried. All that coding training and he still had no result. What he had instead was a raging headache and a very irritated Alec, who lowered his head on the table with a loud thud and groaned in frustration. 

Magnus laid back in his chair and continued thinking through the pain. The rhythmic thumping of Alec's head against the wooden surface of the table was matching the thudding of Magnus’ anxious heart until it suddenly stopped and Alec whipped his head up with newfound energy. 

“What if we're going at it all wrong?” he asked, enlightened. 

Magnus just narrowed his eyes, prompting him to explain further.

“What if we went against the expectations?” Alec added, bringing his darkened screen back to life.

It took Magnus about twenty more seconds to catch up. “You mean we used regular passwords instead of codes we were taught?” 

“Think about it, using codes is what's expected from any agent so no one would think we used something simple.” 

Alec's face lit up with hope until the realization that more hours of guessing were awaiting him. 

“Well, we might use a little help here.” 

Seconds after Magnus shouted “hey, kid!” rang through the apartment Ami was standing in the doorway of the main bedroom. 

“At your service,” she mock saluted them, going to sit at the edge of the bed. 

Magnus turned to look at her, trying not to get his hopes up. 

“Do you know what your parents might have put as their passwords?”

The girl only shook her head, “Nope.” 

Alec's resigned sigh blended with his own and Magnus used all of his willpower not to curse. 

“It can be literally anything, you're both weird,” Ami continued, shrugging as if stating the obvious. 

“Jeez, thanks,” Magnus muttered, turning back to his laptop. 

“Okay, so if it's something too simple then it must be like a date or a name maybe?” Alec pondered.

Magnus turned back to Ami. “When's your birthday?” 

“The 21st of August, 2022.”

_She's turning fifteen this year,_ Magnus mused in his head. _All grown up._

“Try this,” he instructed to Alec. 

Both laptops stayed locked.

“Maybe it's your full name then?” Magnus supposed. “Isn't it what normal people do? Put their children’s names as their passwords?” 

Alec hummed in agreement.

“Just so we're clear,” Magnus started hesitantly, “your surname is..?” 

Ami raised her eyebrows at him while Magnus was feigning innocence, looking at her expectantly.

He obviously didn't want to say it out loud and pretend that the sound of it didn't make him feel strange _unwanted_ things. 

But Ami just kept looking at Magnus with the same unimpressed expression so he didn't have a choice other than sigh dramatically and type “Amelia Lightwood-Bane” in the password box. 

Angry red letters, saying “wrong password” glowed in his face again.

“What name did you type in?” Ami asked curiously. 

“Amelia,” Magnus replied casually, causing the girl behind him to splutter, offended.

“My full name is not Amelia,” she claimed. “It's Aminah.” 

Magnus’ breath hitched in his throat and his heart skipped a beat. A breathless “oh” was all he could manage.

_Aminah._ “Feel safe” from Arabic. 

Magnus knew this name better than anyone. Babbled it in between joyful giggles and whispered it like a prayer, woke up screaming it into the darkness of an empty room and murmured it under his breath as if afraid he would eventually forget it if he stopped pronouncing it out loud. He had it imprinted on his heart. 

He always found it ironic that it was the name of the Prophet Muhammad's mother, who died when he was young. 

Magnus’ mom left him too early in his life, staying the first and the only woman to ever truly own his heart, to keep it safe and fill it with sheer joy and happiness. And now he was staring at this young girl, _his daughter,_ who was bearing his mother’s name, sharing the privilege of being the most important woman in Magnus’ life. 

The sound of someone calling out his name brought Magnus back to his senses. Feeling his eyes sting, Magnus blinked the unshed tears away, trying to regain his composure.

“Magnus? Are you alright?” he heard Alec's tentative voice from his left. 

“Yeah, fine,” he knew he didn't sound convincing but he was thankful to Alec for not pushing him and ignoring his uncontained sniffing. 

“Okay, moving along,” Alec started, his soft voice changing back to authoritative. “Let’s try other dates and people.” 

After 25 more minutes of unsuccessful guessing, something had occurred to Magnus. It dawned on him like a bucket of cold water, causing him to close his eyes and mentally slap himself not only for not thinking about it sooner but also for coming up with this password in the first place. 

_What if he never changed his password?_

Muttering an unbelieving “I swear to god if this is it…”, Magnus made sure that Alec wasn't looking and typed his password in the box.

The fact that _this_ was the password that has finally unlocked the device made Magnus think but he didn't have time to unpack all that since Alec turned to look at him upon hearing the chirping “access gained” sound. 

“You did it,” he stated, not hiding his amazement.

“I did it,” Magnus confirmed.

“What did you type?” 

Magnus choked on air at the prospect of telling Alec that password, covering it up with a cough. “Doesn't matter. Leave that unapproachable thing alone and hack into Sebastian's database,” he stated, pointing at Alec's laptop. “If you can.” 

Closing his still locked laptop and taking Magnus’ instead, Alec got down to work.

“I should. Sebastian's agency belonged to his predecessors, which means it most likely still has old security codes and uses old programming languages. Besides, not many young agents know how to operate them, specializing on new most commonly used technology, which makes them safer to use and, unknowingly to them but luckily for us, easier for me to break through,” Alec rumbled, rapidly typing something on the laptop. 

Too swept up with emotions, Magnus didn't notice when Ami retreated back to her own room, leaving the two alone again.

“So I didn't find anything work-related here, at least not Sebastian related,” Alec's voice cut through an hour-long silence. “But I found something else interesting.” 

“What?” Magnus leaned closer, his curiosity peaked. 

“A folder called wedding pictures,” Alec chirped, snorting at Magnus’ horrified look.

“Don't you dare,” Magnus hissed in a warning. 

Lips still forming a smile, Alec chuckled. “Relax, I don't want to see it any more than you do.” 

Magnus would never admit he actually did want to see the pictures. 

“Good thing I can still use it to break into Sebastian's database.” Alec's voice went back to serious. 

“Okay, let’s list exactly what we want to find there,” Magnus suggested. “First of all, we need the blueprints of his agency’s building.”

The other agent nodded in confirmation. “Then any kind of information we can get, to be honest. If they're planning something as big as ruling the world, there must be something in there.”

Magnus bit his lip in thought. “Like a plan list? With places and dates and all that?” 

“Yeah, maybe a coded one,” Alec supplied without stopping his typing. “I need to get past the firewall and then their files will be an open book for us.”

Magnus wasn't the best when it came to hacking but even he knew you didn't just “break” through the firewall, you prodded and poked around until you found a hole somewhere that you could use. He knew it took time and patience and luckily he had both of those.  
______

Magnus was just beginning to drift off, his hands folded on top of the table, his head placed on his hands when the dull sound of Alec's fingers against the keyboard stopped. He raised his head to find a laptop already turned to him, dozens of black squares with thin blue lines inside covered the whole screen. No matter how hard he tried, Magnus couldn't make out a single thing. 

“I don't quite understand, Alexander,” he admitted. 

“Those are the blueprints,” Alec stated, his brows knitted together, a sign of distress. 

The realization came to Magnus abruptly, causing him to inhale sharply. “When he said Sebastian had agencies all around the world…”

“It wasn't an exaggeration,” Alec finished for him.

Ignoring the fear at the magnitude of the problem they were facing, Magnus nodded for Alec to go on and put the New York headquarters up on the screen. 

Seeing Alec's eyebrows fly up, Magnus was already mentally cursing their luck. 

“They have two places in New York,” Alec said, “let’s start with a smaller one.” 

Turned out they didn't need much time to examine the plan of the first building. 

“Is it...a vault? There's nothing in there, just one room.” 

This wasn't what Magnus expected to see. There in the blueprint were the stairs leading down under the ground and a small corridor ending with a door that led to the only room with nothing inside it.

The first option was it was a vault, made to keep money, technology, weapons or whatever Sebastian found valuable. The second option, it was a bunker. Magnus didn't even want to think about the third one. 

“Let’s move on then,” Alec suggested and the picture changed to the one of a huge building with multiple floors and a whole maze of rooms and corridors. 

The plan was definitely a new one, made with modern technology, as there was access to every door and every room on any level of the building. Magnus would bet you could even see the vent and the pipe systems if you zoomed in close enough. 

There were so many floors and corridors that they didn't know where to start. It was hard to find something when you didn't know what exactly you were looking for. 

“Why don't we go through the files first and then come back to it? We don't even know if we'll need to go inside,” said Magnus.

Alec's agreement came in a form of closing the blueprints and opening a tab with files. 

All the files were sorted by the year so it was logical to go through “2037” first. The folder was full of files with all kinds of names that meant nothing to both agents. That was until they stumbled upon a file named “04.16.2037”. _The date._

The men exchanged a quick look before Alec opened the file and they were greeted with a single line of words, an address. 

“Must be the place they're planning to keep hostages in,” Magnus whispered in disbelief at having found something useful. 

“The first building,” Alec breathed out, having already found a place on a map. “It's the address of that underground vault.”

“He'll be keeping people in the sealed vault? What kind of monster is he?” Magnus couldn't help but let the venom seep into his voice at Morgenstern’s cruelty. 

Determinately typing on the laptop, Alec was already searching for the way to break into the place. 

“The vault is opened from the control panel in the headquarters,” he supplied, the thumping of the keyboard never stopping. 

_Not the brightest news but oh well..._

“Can you get access to it?” 

Alec shook his head. “We need direct access.”

Silence filled the room, causing Magnus to hear the thumping of his own heart increase in speed. Looking at Alec, he saw him stare at one point on the table, his lips pursed. They both knew what had to be done. 

Magnus was the one to voice their thoughts. “We can't go in blind the day of the mission. We need to inspect the place beforehand.” 

The reluctant agreement Alec managed to force out of himself didn't help him to calm down much.

Breaking and entering was the most frequent thing any agent had to do, the problem was, you never do this alone. Usually, it required a whole team of handlers and a team of agents and here they were, just the two of them to play those roles. Just the two of them to do _everything._

Of course, they would find a control room on the blueprints but they couldn't take risks, they needed to check the accuracy of the plan. Too much was at stake, too many people's lives depended on them. 

One look at Alec's face and Magnus could practically see his partner mentally planning everything he'd have to do before they even have a talk about who's playing which role. Print the blueprints, gain access to the security system and all the cameras in the building, find their blind spots and draw them on the prints, plot the safest route to the control room and back. 

“We’ll figure it out. We're the best of our kind,” Magnus tried to reassure both Alec and himself, his voice lacking his usual confidence. 

Alec stayed quiet.

“I suggest we go in to inspect a week before the date. Five days from now,” Magnus continued.

“We” being only one of them was left unsaid. 

Alec nodded his agreement. “Yeah, this way we’ll have plenty of time to think everything through and strategize.” 

“You wanna go to the kitchen? Take a break?” Magnus suggested. He felt exhausted and he wasn't even the one doing most of the job this time, he couldn't even begin to imagine how Alec must have felt. 

However, Alec only shook his head stubbornly. “I’d rather continue working on this. I sleep better knowing my job is done.” 

Knowing he was in no position to push or command, Magnus just hummed in acceptance.

“But you should go eat something,” Alec pointed out. “You missed lunch sitting here with me all day.” 

Magnus was about to say something along the lines of “I wouldn't let you do it all alone, even if I weren't much help,” but he bit his tongue last second, opting for a quiet “okay” instead. 

“Go, I’ll print those out,” Alec gestured towards the blueprints of Morgenstern's headquarters that were back on the laptop screen. 

Magnus nodded and left the room, feeling awkward and guilty for leaving his worn-out partner to work while he took his time to relax and get distracted.  
______

Minutes later Magnus found himself staring inside the fridge full of products, deciding what to make for dinner. Culinary wasn't one of his strongest skills, he hadn't cooked for himself ever since he entered the agency, having a cafeteria with their own cooks making the most delicious stuff at any time of the day. 

Their missions’ expenses were all paid for by Idris and only an idiot wouldn't use room service. Nothing makes up for a ruined Tom Ford suit better than a good breakfast in bed, after all. Even if you have to enjoy it in the company of yourself and a glass of sparkling wine.

In general, Magnus, like most agents, was used to being catered for but when a situation called for it, he could put his limited knowledge to use. 

Deciding on a pretty simple rice dish, Magnus went to rummage through a cabinet filled with so many spices he couldn't pick one. A disaster for someone who can never choose one thing among many, at least not before spending about thirty minutes weighing the advantages and disadvantages of all the options. 

Everything was a challenge in the future. Not only did it take him more time than he would admit to figure out that you need to press on the cabinet door to make it open upwards (which also nearly ended up with Magnus’ face smashed against the high-tech piece of kitchen furniture), but he also couldn't choose a simple seasoning. 

A loud cough coming from the entrance startled Magnus out of his dilemma, causing him to jump slightly and hit his head on the damn cabinet door with a dull thud. 

His murmured under his breath “Jesus Christ” only made Ami snort. 

“Aren't you supposed to have super-agent reflexes or something?” she teased, walking inside the kitchen and hopping on a chair at the island. 

“I lowered my guard when you convinced me this place is as secure as it gets,” he grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. “Assumed too soon.” 

Ami’s satisfied snicker made Magnus’ own lips turn up into a smile. 

“You little devil,” he added, shaking his head, no salt behind his words. 

Magnus put a cutting board and some vegetables he found in the fridge on the table, which put him right in front of Ami and her scrutinizing eyes. 

“I know you eat a lot but this is too much even for you,” she pointed out, looking at the number of vegetables Magnus was currently cutting. “Unless…”

Magnus’ hand froze mid-movement. _Damn this girl and her ability to see right through him._ Her knowing smug grin made Magnus want to hide his own sheepish smile. 

“Aww, you're making food for him,” she cooed. “That's cute.” 

Feeling a blush making its way up Magnus’ neck, he tried to downplay the situation, even though he knew there was no way he could fool the girl. 

“Yeah, yeah, I can't let him starve to death if I want this mission done. _Plus_ Isabelle would have my head when she finds out I didn't take enough care of her beloved brother,” he rumbled.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, I guess,” Ami shrugged. 

“You sound too much like Alec right now.”

Ami gave him a deadpan look, throwing a chopped piece of pepper she stole from the board into her mouth. 

“So, about your password,” she started nonchalantly, which only caused Magnus to groan, throwing his head back. 

_Trust Ami to choose a topic that would necessarily make Magnus an embarrassed blushing mess._

“We're not talking about it. You didn't see anything.”

Ami hummed sarcastically, twisting her hair on her finger absentmindedly. 

Magnus’ attention was caught on the fact that Ami’s long curly hair was now braided into two fishtail braids, reminding him a lot of how Isabelle would do her hair.

“Nice braids,” he complimented, going back to cutting. “Izzy taught you?”

“Nah, Dad did.”

Magnus’ eyebrows rose in surprise. Alexander Lightwood never ceased to amaze him. 

“He used to braid Aunt Izzy’s hair when they were children,” she explained. “He taught her and now he taught me.”

Seeing something fond and nostalgic flicker in Ami’s expression made something clench in Magnus’ chest. 

She must be missing her parents a lot. She didn't show it much, though. She didn't complain or get sulky.

For someone who's only fourteen years old, she was a wise, strong and independent individual. She was fierce and bold, she looked like a person who didn't take anyone's bullshit and always saw right through it. 

Somewhere deep in his heart, an unfamiliar feeling of pride started curling into a small ball, which, unknowingly to him, would only grow with time.

Ami flipped one of her braids to her back, the movement making something jingle and show from under her shirt. Magnus’ eyes were instantly drawn to a small silver pendant hanging on her neck and his breath caught in his throat. 

“Is this…?” 

“What?” She asked, confused. Following Magnus’ eyes, she realized what made him gasp and her features softened. “Oh.”

Her hand reached up to wrap around the locket automatically. Absentmindedly, Magnus was doing the same thing. 

This small locket with a tiny red stone belonged to his mother once. The only thing Magnus had left of her except his time-blurred memories. 

Inside of it, there was a picture of his young mother hugging a baby Magnus to her chest, both of them smiling at the camera. The other side of the locket was engraved with a Latin saying, “Flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo.” _If I cannot bend the heavens, then I shall move the powers of hell._

What once were empty words for a little boy became a motto for a man he has become. For Magnus, it meant to never stop at anything until you achieve what you want. It meant more to him than what was on the surface. It framed his life and lead him to where he was right now.

She gave it to him when he was ten and he never took it off since then. He slept in it, showered in it, went to every mission in it, he killed and saved lives in it. He once thought he would die with this pendant still hanging around his neck. 

“You gave it to me on my tenth birthday,” Ami’s tentative voice broke him out of his reverie. “You said it was supposed to give me luck and protection.”

Magnus felt tears burn at the back of his eyes and he chuckled sadly at the familiarity of the words. 

“That's what she told me when she gave it to me.”

The very fact of having someone he wanted safe so bad he would give them his most valuable possession was making Magnus’ heart squeeze and then flutter in his chest. The fact of loving someone so strongly, so deeply was so alien to Magnus it almost made his head spin. 

“You wanna know something?” Ami was still looking him right in the eyes even though Magnus’ own were now fixed on the table surface, her gaze understanding and comforting.

Magnus’ eyes meeting hers was the only affirmation she needed. 

“You would always reach out to fiddle with it only to find nothing there. You never regretted giving it to me but your face would still fall every time so Dad decided to give you a new one.”

Right when he thought he couldn't get more overwhelmed. The prospect of being so cared for wasn't taking it easy on Magnus, squeezing his poor lonely heart even tighter. 

“It has a picture of us three and the same quote on the inside,” Ami assured him. “But he also added something else to it. Something you always wanted to add to your old one but never did.”

Magnus saw right through her attempt at getting him out of his own head by focusing back on her.

“MB?” 

“M _L_ B,” she corrected, “but yes, your initials.” 

Right, L was now rightfully in his initials and if that wasn't the final blow to his already emotionally exhausted mind. 

Seeing him slip again, Ami took it as her cue to keep talking. 

“You never take it off.” 

“Yeah...uh...I guess I should really work on my attachment to inanimate objects issue,” he said a bit sheepishly, pursing his lips, his hand that was previously holding a knife was now scratching at the back of his head self-deprecatory, half chopped vegetables long forgotten. 

He felt Ami’s small hand cover his own. 

“A wise man once told me it's okay to always have something that grounds you, whether it's a tattoo adorning your skin or a little pendant hanging around your neck.”

“Well, I’m good with words, I have to admit,” Magnus commented, aiming for something more lighthearted.

Ami pulled her hand back and fell back in her chair. 

“Nah, Alec said that,” she retorted, her tone teasing again. 

Magnus just huffed, feigning offense when he was clearly amused himself. 

“Speaking about Alec,” Ami said rising from the chair. “I’ll let you get back to your cooking and go give him some company.” 

Right, he had cooking to do. 

“Give him my regards,” Magnus told Ami’s retreating form, already proceeding to cut another pepper. 

“Oh, for sure!” She threw over her shoulder before disappearing into the living room.  
______

Alec was hunched over a blueprint of the seventh floor, all others scattered around him when he heard someone enter the room and flop down on the bed. 

“So, how's it going?” 

“It’s...going,” he sighed, without turning to look at Ami. 

He's been marking placements of all the cameras on the printed plans of each floor and at the moment he wasn't even half done. 

“You know you don't have to finish everything today, right?” 

“Yes but I’m still gonna do that,” he replied matter of factly. 

“God, you're a work freak,” Ami groaned.

That made Alec stop for a second and face the girl with an unimpressed expression. 

“Weren't you doing all your homework yesterday when you didn't even have school today?” he asked, sarcasm lacing through his voice.

Ami propped herself up on one elbow to look back at Alec. 

“I got it from you.” 

“Not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing,” he murmured before turning back to his papers. 

“I just sleep better knowing I already have everything done, you know,” she added, flopping back on the huge bed, now lying on her back in a star pose. 

“Yeah,” Alec felt his lips spread into a small smile involuntarily. “I know.” 

Right when Alec thought that was the end of their conversation, Ami surprised him with another question that almost made Alec choke on thin air.

“So, do you like Magnus?”

Alec cleared his throat before managing a hoarse “Excuse me?”

“Oh, come on, I know you like him,” she proceeded to taunt him. “You're married for a reason.”

“Okay, stop distracting me.”

A poor failed attempt. 

“You wanna know who proposed?” 

_Oh, God._

“I think I already have enough spoilers of my own life, thank you very much,” Alec waved dismissively. 

“What I’m trying to say is that you're meant to be and you'll end up together one way or another so you might as well stop with your fighting. Uncle Jace said it only made the tension thicker.”

“What tension are you talking about?” 

“You know…,” Ami wiggled her eyebrows, the implication clear as day. 

Alec's eyes widened profusely. “Don't-!” he exclaimed, his voice going high as his hand was making “please, stop” movements. “Don’t say it! Jesus…” 

While Alec was having a crisis, Ami was snickering, rolling on the bed. 

_Those teenagers._

_Also,_ he was going to kill Jace. 

Apparently, Ami wasn't done with Alec yet.

She has just opened her mouth to further mess with him when a shrill sound of a ringtone saved him from his misery.

Ami reached for her phone in her pocket and her eyes turned to Alec when she saw the caller’s name. Alec was by her side in an instant, staring at the screen with “aunt Izzy” written on it in bold letters. 

Well, shit. He wasn't prepared for this.

“Pick up and put her on speaker but don't tell her we're here,” he rushed to instruct the girl. 

Alec saw hesitation flicker in Ami’s eyes for a second before she pressed “answer” and Izzy’s familiar joyful voice filled the room. 

“Hey, Snugabug!” she practically screamed through the speaker, making Ami groan and Alec's face scrunch up, cringing at the nickname.

“I told you not to call me that so many times!” 

On the other side of the line, Izzy giggled, the sound sending a pang of longing through Alec's chest. 

It's been a couple of days and he already missed his younger sister. If she were here with him, she would definitely take over Alec's work and make him eat and sleep, even if she had to threaten him. 

But his Izzy was years away and he knew they couldn't bring this one in this mission. Getting more people involved would only make things spiral out of proportions and all their plans could go so wrong there would be no way to back out of it. 

Lost in his thoughts, Alec clearly missed a part of the conversation. 

“Any news from my parents?” Ami asked hopefully, sounding the most vulnerable Alec heard her be.

“They're both fine, don't worry,” Izzy assured her. “Their mission went south so they'll have to stay and work on it for an unknown period of time, though.” 

“Oh. And they didn't even call me?”

Seeing Ami’s face fall, Alec had to fight the urge to reach out and squeeze her shoulder sympathetically, thinking that his touch wouldn't be welcomed at the moment.

“I’m sorry, kid. You know they would call you if they could. They can't risk it now.” Izzy’s own voice went soft when she was trying to comfort her niece. It matched the tone she would use to tell Alec it wasn't his fault when someone from the team got hurt on a mission, the same tone she used to reassure Jace his parents would be proud of him. 

Ami pursed her lips and nodded her head, forgetting the fact that Izzy couldn't see her.

“But they asked me to tell you that they miss you and they love you dearly.” 

“Yeah,” she breathed out. “I miss them too.” 

“On a lighter note, I was thinking I could drop by tomorrow?” Without even waiting for her to finish, Alec started shaking his head rapidly. “We can watch movies together? I can bring snacks?” 

“No!” 

Alec could practically see Izzy flinching at the sharp answer. 

“No, no...uh...I have Jayden coming over tomorrow,” Ami explained more calmly. “You know, to hang out.” 

“Oh so Jayden again, huh?” Izzy didn't sound offended or upset at being rejected. In fact, she sounded teasing. 

Alec lifted his eyebrows questioningly.

“Yeah, that's what best friends do, hang out together, duh,” Ami said too quickly, faking a laugh.

Alec narrowed his eyes at her while Izzy huffed disbelievingly through the speaker.

“Fine. But if you need something or you just want some company-”

“I can call you anytime. Yeah, yeah, I know.”

Without even meaning to, Alec's heart warmed at the close-knit relationship his sister had with his...future daughter. 

“Okay then. Bye, kiddo. Love you.”

After a quick but sincere “Love you too” Ami hang up and was faced with Alec's scrutinizing gaze.

“What?”

“Who's Jayden?” Alec wondered, trying to sound less interested than he actually was. 

“Just a friend from school,” Ami shrugged. 

“As a child of two secret agents, you should know better than to avoid eye contact when you're trying to convince someone in what you're saying.” At this point, Alec was just amused at seeing Ami like this, awkward and flustered.

“Okay, maybe I like him,” she admitted, her shoulders dropping in defeat. 

“That's more like it,” Alec said cheerfully. “What's his surname again?”

“I never mentioned it,” Ami glared.

“You didn't?” Alec asked as he feigned confusion.

“Stop,” she groaned. “I know what you're trying to do. You wanna search him up, run a background check on him.”

Alec opened his mouth, denial at the tip of his tongue when Ami stopped him.

“He's fifteen. You won't find anything on him.”

“Well, I could always find something about his family,” Alec added casually. 

“If it makes you feel better, he already passed your tests and got approved by the both of you so take a breather, won't you?”

Alec sighed, aware of his usual excessive amount of concern. “Fine, but be careful with him.” 

“Okay, _Dad._ ” 

The “dad” part might have been said as a joke but it definitely made Alec’s chest squeeze when addressed to him. Because, you know, technically he was a Dad. And isn't it a wild concept? 

Going back to his current working place, Alec left Ami sitting at the edge of the bed and alone with her own thoughts, which, as he found out later, wasn't the best idea. 

Alec was in the middle of finishing the tenth floor when he heard Ami’s unusually quiet voice murmur, “I’m not abandoned.”

Alec slowly turned around in his chair, looking at the girl with concern at the sudden change in mood.

“I might be used to managing everything on my own but I'm not abandoned. They love me and they care about me,” she continued when she was sure she had Alec's full attention.

“Of course they do,” Alec confirmed in a gentle tone, unsure where this was going. 

He noticed Ami’s eyes welling up with tears and she bit her bottom lip tightly to prevent it from wobbling. 

“They started taking paperwork for me, working as handlers more times than going into the field. We hang out together every time they come back from another mission or a late-night shift at work and they're always here for the holidays,” Ami proceeded to say in a shaky voice. “They taught me everything I needed to be able to do without them. They're the best parents,” she sniffed.

Moving back to sit beside the girl, Alec wrapped his arm around her shoulders, rubbing her arm soothingly. 

“Ami, where is this coming from?” he asked carefully. Ami’s words came out of nowhere and Alec wasn't sure if it was to convince him or to remind herself. 

“I just don't want you to think they're bad at it, that you are bad at it,” she confessed reluctantly. 

Was that her protective instincts showing? Was she afraid he and Magnus would judge their future selves’, their parenting skills? 

“Hey, I know you all are a happy loving family, okay? I wouldn't doubt their love for you. Magnus wouldn't either,” he reassured. 

“Good,” she sniffed again, blinking the unshed tears away, vulnerability morphing into fierce intimidation. “Because if you say one bad word about them…”

Alec didn't know if he should be pleased or terrified. After all, Ami was threatening him while defending...him.

Suddenly, Alec found himself laughing at the ridiculousness of the whole situation and not long afterwards he heard Ami splutter and join him in this madness. 

They managed to calm down right when Magnus appeared at the doorway, two bowls of fried rice in his hands. 

“Did I miss something?”

Both Ami and Alec stood up, sharing a secretive glance. 

“Nope, nothing important,” Ami said, moving towards the door. “I’ll leave you to it.” 

“I left you some food in the kitchen,” Magnus told her as she was passing by him. 

After receiving a quiet “thanks” he moved into the room and basically pushed the bowl into Alec's hands. 

Alec looked inside the bowl for a second before moving his eyes back to Magnus’ in slight confusion.

“Food in the bedroom?” 

Magnus’ couldn't help an eye roll that Alec's remark forced out of him. 

“How else am I supposed to feed your workaholic ass?” he shrugged, causing Alec to huff out a laugh. 

Taking a fork from Magnus and settling back in his chair, Alec moved the dish closer to his face and inhaled the spicy scent. 

(If Magnus thought he looked cute with his nose all scrunched up, nobody had to know.)

“Smells nice,” he complimented.

“Let's hope it tastes just as nice,” Magnus said, making himself comfortable at his side of the vanity.

“Don't drop anything on the floor. Pretty sure they'll kill us if we spoil their carpet,” Alec said in a mock warning tone, making Magnus snort.  
______

Both of their meals finished, the two agents sat in silence, staring at random points in the room, both knowing what question was hanging in the air. 

“So,” Alec started. “I’m halfway through the blueprints.”

“I’ll help you finish with them.” Alec was about to refuse his offer when Magnus stopped him. “I know you'll stay up all night otherwise.” 

“Okay,” Alec sighed. “Thank you.” 

“I’m your partner, remember? That's my job too.”

Magnus gathered their dirty dishes and went to the kitchen to throw them in the sink. By the time he came back, Alec had already put the printed papers on the table. 

“So I have bad news and good news. The bad is that there are a lot of cameras everywhere in this building. And when I say a lot, I mean _a lot_. The good is that they're moving so when I get access to them, you’ll be able to turn them whichever way we need,” Alec informed him.

_Wait a second._

“I didn't know we decided who’d be the one to go.” 

“Magnus,” Alec sighed tiredly, raking a hand through his hair. 

“What?” The other agent couldn't help but let his rising uneasiness seep through his voice.

“Let’s talk about it some other day, okay?” 

He could see Alec's exhaustion clear not only on his face but also in the way he held himself, his shoulders slightly slumped.

“Okay.”

The feeling of a small ball of anxiety growing at the pit of his stomach was familiar to Magnus. He knew it all too well. And sadly, he knew what brought this on, even if he didn't want it to be true. 

Alec going into this hell house alone with no guarantee he'd make it back. He didn't know what changed but days ago he would've dismissed it as a fear of being left alone in the wrong time, but now? Now he could admit to himself it was a fear of losing his partner.

Alec Lightwood might be an annoying pain in the ass that Magnus _couldn’t stand_ sometimes but he was a constant in Magnus’ life. One way or another, he was a part of Magnus’ life. 

Being an agent meant changing locations, looks and personalities more times than you ate or slept. It felt nice to know there was something permanent, something unchanging that you always came back to. And Magnus clung to those constants like to the lifeline. 

He remembered how he would always search his team with his eyes the moment he came back into the agency from his solo missions. How he hugged Isabelle tight to his chest when she said she was going to stay in Paris for a month to help train new agents there. How his heart skipped a beat when Luke had a health scare and contemplated leaving the agent’s life behind. 

He remembered all the times he would sigh a breath of relief seeing Alec back from missions, scarred and bruised, but alive. He would make a quirky comment to cover up his true feelings, along the lines of “you're alive,” and find comfort in a thrown back “sorry, Bane, can't get rid of me that easily.” Those days he would go to sleep, content, knowing he would hear those words at least one more time. 

The truth is, you don't have to be friends to be attached to someone, you don't have to be anything, really, and Magnus learned it the hard way. 

Right now, the thought of letting the other agent walk right into Sebastian’s arms made Magnus’ blood run cold in his veins. At that moment he knew he would be the one to go in, even if he had to fight Alec on that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> If you could spare a moment to tell me your favorite lines/moments or the things that stuck with you the most, I'd really appreciate it :)
> 
> Some tweets aren't showing in the hashtag for some reason so you can always @ me, it's alightbane.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth is, the stars are falling, babe  
> And I'd never ever thought that I would say  
> I'm afraid of the life that I've made, I've made.  
> -Ease by Troye Sivan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone!  
> I wanted to thank y'all for your response to this fic, it means a lot to me and your comments encourage and inspire me, so keep them coming. Please?  
> Also sorry for the long wait! I hope I'll be able to finish the next chapter quicker than this one but no promises. On the brighter note, this chapter is longer than the previous ones, albeit not that much.  
> Trigger warnings for this chapter: alcohol and non-consensual drug use. Be careful when you read and stay safe!  
> Hope you enjoy it, and don't forget to use #OTEONTfic if you live-tweet it! :)
> 
> And of course a huge thank you to [Meisha](https://twitter.com/banesarchangel) for helping me with this fic <3

The first thing Magnus realized when waking up was that he couldn't remember falling asleep in the first place, the second thing was something soft tickling his nose. It didn't take him long to realize that at some point both Alec and him had fallen asleep working on the blueprints, so it could only mean one thing. Magnus’ body tensed. Alec was sleeping next to him, so close that Magnus could feel his hair brushing against his face. Great. And on their future selves’ bed, nonetheless. 

Mentally preparing himself to crawl out of bed as quietly as possible, without waking Alec up and having him notice their interesting position, Magnus took a deep breath and opened his eyes. But the sight he was met with wasn't a mop of Alec's black hair but a mop of white fur instead.

Magnus let out a breath of relief and relaxed, sinking back into the fluffy bed cover. He cast a glance at Alec's sleeping form on the other side of the bed, papers and pens scattered in the space between them. 

He found himself fascinated with the way Alec looked at that moment, so peaceful and relaxed. Magnus had only ever seen him be a stoic warrior or at least in his commanding mode, but never this calm and defenseless. He looked younger, untroubled. 

Magnus felt a sudden urge to move closer and just watch, study the features of his handsome face. On one hand, he didn't want to be a creep, but on another, there was no harm in looking, right?

Slowly raising his head from the pillow and propping himself on one elbow to be able to see properly, Magnus looked. 

The crease between Alec's eyebrows that was almost always present on his frowning concentrating face was now gone. His lips were slightly parted, cute little snores leaving his mouth in a steady rhythm. His whole body was lax, he looked like a pile of clay you could shape into anything you wanted with your bare hands. Magnus found his own breathing match the pace of Alec's chest rising and falling. 

He would've stared at him for god knows how long if a small needy cat didn't demand his attention by tapping Magnus’ arm with his tiny paw. 

“Good morning, Zeus,” Magnus whispered, putting effort into taking his eyes off Alec and turning to look at the munchkin. 

The cat rolled to lay on his back, presenting Magnus with his soft belly, silently asking him to rub it. 

“You're a cute little thing, aren't you,” Magnus chuckled, shaking his head while stroking Zeus.

The cat started purring, clenching and unclenching his paws in pleasure while Magnus was running his fingers through his short fur, involuntarily smiling down at the feline. It was such a mundane thing but it was bringing Magnus so much joy and satisfaction that he realized he could do it for hours. 

Eventually Magnus had to pull away from the cat, who was just as disgruntled by it as Magnus, if not more. Moving to stand up from the bed, he threw a quick glance at Alec to see if he was woken up by his movements but he was still fast asleep. 

The idea came to Magnus’ head out of nowhere. Maybe he was going crazy due to his chronic sleep deprivation but he suddenly felt like tucking Alec in bed, making sure he felt comfortable. 

His head was telling him that there was no need to make things weird, even _weirder_ , between them but that soft part of his heart was telling him to go for it. His heart fought with his common sense for a second before he tentatively approached Alec's side of the bed and covered him with the part of the cover he wasn't sleeping on, practically wrapping him in a cocoon. 

The other agent not waking up during the whole process was a miracle. Magnus knew it could only prove that Alec let his guard down here in this apartment, just like Magnus himself did. It meant he felt at peace there, he trusted people he was with, he felt _safe_.

Giving Alec one last look, Magnus went up to a digital clock that was standing on a bedside table on his side of the bed (he didn't actually know if it was his or Alec's but he just felt like it was) to see it was only nearing 6am. He let his eyes wander to the window where the first rays of sunshine were breaking through the gaps in the blinds.

Ami was still asleep and the cat was already snoring quietly next to Alec. The whole apartment was engulfed in serenity and silence. It made you feel content, like you wanted time to freeze so you could stay in the moment. It made you feel _at home._

And in this rare tranquillity of the early morning, it didn't feel like work when he sat down at the vanity and proceeded to finish marking the blueprints.  
______

Magnus was in the middle of making his fifth French toast when he heard the soft padding of footsteps approaching. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was. 

“You didn't wake me up,” Alec croaked out, his voice hoarse from the sleep. 

“You needed some sleep,” Magnus replied, turning the toast around in the pan. 

“And you've made breakfast? Again?” Alec came closer to look at the pan’s contents over Magnus’ shoulder before turning around and leaning against the counter. “You know you don't have to do everything for the both of us?” 

Picking the toast up with the spatula, Magnus unloaded it on the plate and proceeded to make another one.

“Neither do you. Doesn't stop you from trying, though,” he pointed out, finally sparing Alec a glance.

The universe was clearly making fun of Magnus as he noticed how adorable Alec looked with that pillow crease imprinted onto his cheek, making his pale skin grow a shade more pink. His eyes were slightly puffed and his hair tousled, which made him nonetheless attractive in Magnus’ eyes. In fact, Magnus wouldn't really mind running his hands through those soft strands of hair.

In his staring, Magnus forgot all about the toast on the pan and the smell of something beginning to burn brought him back to attention. 

“Oh, shit, goddammit,” he hissed, quickly turning the toast around.

On his left, Alec let out an amused chuckle.

“At least let me help you with this…,” he motioned towards the slightly burned toast, “culinary masterpiece,” he finished hesitantly, earning himself a glare. 

“Don't worry, I got it,” Magnus assured his partner, shooing him away. “Besides, you did most of the job yesterday anyway.” 

“Listen,” Alec started but he never got to finish as Ami plodded into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes and yawning. 

“Are you arguing about chores again?” she asked, flopping on her usual spot at the kitchen island. 

Alec raised his brow at her.

“What do you mean _again?_ ”

“I have to listen to you two argue about it all the time,” Ami shrugged. “I’ll vacuum, darling, you go rest,” she said in a mocking voice, impersonating Magnus, before changing the tone. “No, honey, I’m pretty sure it was your turn last time. I’ll do it.” 

“ _Darling?_ ” Magnus scrunched up his nose while Alec grumbled a low “I don't speak like that,” under his breath. 

“And this is what happens every time. Ugh, tedious,” she groaned.

“Okay, young lady, enough of that,” Magnus said, placing a plate of sugary toasts in front of the girl. “Eat up!”

Ami poked the burnt one with her fork and held it up to the light, looking at it uncertainly. 

“Yeah, maybe let Alec cook next time.”

Magnus whipped around at the comment while Alec snorted into his cup of coffee.

“I’m getting better at this, I let you know,” he pointed out. “Besides, maybe if Alec wasn't distracting me,” he trailed off, realizing what he had just implied. 

Magnus’ eyes flew to his partner, who clearly took his remark the wrong way, judging by the way his eyes narrowed. 

“Okay, let’s all just have breakfast in peace!” Ami interfered before the two agents could start quarreling because of a misunderstanding. 

Sighing heavily, Magnus settled onto one of the chairs opposite Ami, unknowingly already having his own place at the kitchen table as well. He put some of the toast on his plate, including the burnt one, and pushed the plate with the rest of them towards Alec, catching his appreciative nod.  
______

“You wanna hit the gym?” Alec asked when all three of them had finished their breakfast and were idly sipping on their beverages.

“I have a better idea!” Magnus perked up. “Why don't we go to the pool instead?” 

Ami hummed in approval. “That's actually a good idea. Pretty sure it should be empty now, no sane person would go for a swim this early in the morning.” 

“I’m just going to ignore you indirectly calling us insane and say the fewer people there are the better.” Magnus then turned to look at Alec expectantly. “So?”

The images of Magnus’ smooth toned body, dripping with water and only covered in a small piece of cloth that was his swim trunks, flushed through Alec's mind. There was no way he was going to survive that but there was also no excuse he could come up with to refuse the offer.

_Stay cool, Alec._

He gulped visibly before muttering a hoarse “yeah, sure.” 

“Well, then, you go ahead, I’ll clean up and join you in a minute.”

Ami gave them a pointed look but Alec decided against arguing on that this time and after thanking Magnus for the food, went back to the guest room to grab his swimming clothes.  
______

Alec was in the middle of his third lap at the otherwise empty swimming pool when he heard the main door open with a click. Assuming it was Magnus finally gracing him with his presence, Alec remained lying on his back, letting the water hold him up. 

“Took you long enough,” he shouted out to be heard from another end of the place where he assumed Magnus to be.

“If I knew such a fine gentleman would be waiting for me here all alone, I’d definitely come sooner,” said an unfamiliar voice, sounding both smug and closer than Alec would expect. 

Hastily turning around and exiting the pool from the nearest ladder, Alec ended up face to face with a tall bulky young man he'd never seen before. The man had thick blonde hair and clear green eyes, his thin lips were still spread into an amused smirk. Needless to say, he was also only wearing a pair of maroon swimming trunks. 

Not the best attire for meeting new people but he had found himself in worse situations. 

“Sorry for scaring you,” the man said, offering his hand for Alec to shake. “I’m Aidan.” 

“Kian,” Alec replied with no hesitation, grasping Aidan’s hand. 

The other man's eyes raked over Alec's body shamelessly before his piercing gaze focused on his face, studying him closely. 

“I didn't know Alec Lightwood-Bane had such a gorgeous nephew,” Aidan purred, tilting his head to the side, still examining Alec.

Doing his best to make a sudden hitch of his breath unnoticeable, Alec snorted at the flirty comment.

“How do you know I’m his nephew?” 

Aidan's eyes narrowed, making him look like a predator, ready to pounce on Alec any second. “A wild guess.”

“Well, your guess was wrong. I’m his second cousin actually,” Alec offered casually.

The man clicked his tongue. “Damn, those genes must be strong,” he said making Alec chuckle lightly.

“I guess you can say so.” 

Soon two men found themselves in an awkward silence that didn't seem to faze Aidan, who couldn't tear his eyes away from Alec.

“So, what are you doing in a swimming pool so early in the morning?” the agent wondered. 

“My shift starts early, that's just how I start my day most of the time. Helps you feel fresh and perky for the rest of the day, you know,” Aidan replied. “Gotta admit I didn't expect to find anyone here as well. But it's nice to have company other than myself for a change.” 

The man threw Alec a dazzling smile.

“Can't promise it will happen again. Couldn't sleep tonight, must be magnetic storms or something,” Alec said, making weird circular motions with his hand.

“A pity. If you find yourself unable to sleep, though, you're always welcome to join me here,” the other man suggested, stepping closer.

Just when Aidan was about to prompt the dialogue further, the door clicked open and Magnus stepped into the room, making Alec let out a small sigh of relief.

“Over here!” Alec yelled before Magnus could call out his name and unintentionally blow his cover, his voice bouncing off the walls.

Magnus’ eyes instantly flew to Alec's direction, who was currently waving him over, and his brows furrowed upon seeing another person getting close and personal with his partner. They couldn't afford it with their job. 

“Didn't know you already had company,” Magnus observed without hiding his lack of enthusiasm as he strode to where the men stood at the edge of the pool. 

Aidan’s head turned to Magnus’ voice and his eyes narrowed again when they landed on the other agent’s stern face.

“Magnus?” he asked, confused.

Alec saw Magnus frown but he didn't seem to be about to reply any time soon, so Alec took it upon himself to introduce him.

“Excuse his rudeness,” he addressed Aidan, turning the man's attention back to himself. “That's Standrew,” he added, paying almost no mind to Magnus throwing him death glares over Aidan’s shoulder. “And that's Aidan.”

The man turned back to Magnus. “Can I call you Stan?” 

“No,” Magnus gritted through his teeth.

The agent looked like he was about to explode but Aidan didn't seem to notice or care as he didn't give up. 

“Drew then?” 

“Just Standrew is fine,” Magnus replied, trying for a more polite tone this time, hiding his annoyance.

And if Alec found Magnus saying his oh so hated name absolutely hilarious, he managed to hide it well.

“Let me guess, Magnus’ second cousin?” 

Magnus raised his brows at him before managing a small smile. “His nephew, actually.” 

“Wow,” the other man breathed out. “You two do look a lot like your relatives.” 

Magnus felt the weight of his gaze travel along his whole body before it settled on his face, scanning him attentively. 

Magnus cleared his throat, feeling slightly uncomfortable under the stranger’s scrutiny. 

“Sorry for my staring,” the man apologized, offering Magnus a polite smile. “I just can't believe you look so much like him. I might feel like I’m going a bit crazy,” he chuckled.

“It's okay,” Magnus waved him off. “But now if you don't mind, I’d like to actually do what I came here to do, which is going for a swim.” His voice was smoothly polite but with a tone of finality underneath it. 

Moving closer to the side of the pool, Magnus threw Alec a quick glance over his shoulder. “Didn't you promise to race me to the other end?”

Alec certainly did no such thing but he could take a hint. 

“Get ready to have your ass handed to you,” he threw back at Magnus.

Luckily for them, Aidan took it as his dismissal. “It was nice meeting you both. You guys have fun, I was gonna go to the sauna first anyway,” he said, motioning towards the glass door in the left wall before making his way towards it.

After racing each other to the other side of the pool and Alec demanding a rematch that he lost anyway, the two agents just floated aimlessly, staring at the light blue ceiling in dead silence, only the sound of water rippling around them filling the air. 

They kept their conversations light for the whole time, talking about the places they'd like to visit in New York and how they were still feeling jet-lagged in case Aidan could hear or see them through the thin door. 

Alec was floating motionlessly in the star pose with his eyes closed for what felt like hours when suddenly a pair of strong hands circled his waist and pulled him underwater. He didn't even have enough time to panic as the same hands pulled him back up and he spat out a mouthful of chlorinated water before his eyes fixed on his attacker.

Magnus was standing a few feet away, chest-deep into the water, with a nonchalant look on his face. 

“What was that?” Alec exclaimed, nonplussed, rubbing the drops of water from his eyes. 

“The name,” Magnus shrugged. 

Before Alec could think of some genius revenge plan, an amused laughter rang through the room. Two heads turned to look at Aidan, who was now making his way to the pool. 

“You seem pretty comfortable around each other,” he noticed, making his way down the ladder. “You get to spend much time together? My relatives barely even remember I exist.” 

The agents exchanged a quick glance. 

“We went to the same college, ended up renting an apartment together, so you could say we're good friends aside from being a family,” Magnus explained.

“You're not from around here, are you?” Aidan had made his way closer to the agents who were now resting against the side of the pool casually.

“No, just came to visit for a while,” Alec replied. “We live in Nashville.” 

“Oh, I’ve always wanted to visit,” Aidan perked up. “I might have a chance this summer. Maybe you could give me a tour?” He purred at Alec, looking him straight in the eyes with a seductive grin, one corner of his mouth curved upwards. 

“Uhhh…” Alec trailed off, feeling his cheeks heating up. “I mean…”

From the corner of his eye, he could see Magnus watching them intently.

“Go easy on him, he's a shy one,” Magnus warned, his voice lacking his usual teasing, gaining a note of displeasure instead. 

Aidan’s eyes suddenly flew towards the clock hanging on the opposite wall and let out a disappointed sigh. “Seems like I lost track of time, my shift starts in an hour,” he explained, moving to climb out of the water.

Alec managed to gather his thoughts and followed the man not far behind. 

“Yeah, it's time we went back as well.” 

Before he could head for the shower, which was conveniently placed in the corner of the room, Aidan grabbed his arm, tugging Alec a bit closer so he could hear him properly. 

“If you struggle from a sleepless night again, you're always welcome to join me here,” he said. “I’m sure I can come up with some exhausting activities for us to engage in, after which you'll sleep better than ever.” He smiled at Alec seductively, tracing the vein on his arm with his fingertip before stepping away. “See you, Kian,” he winked before heading for the exit confidently. “Bye, Stan!” He yelled, without even turning around just before disappearing behind the door, Magnus’ irritated huff left unnoticed.

Alec turned around slowly to see that Magnus had lingered in the pool for some time and was only now making his way up the small ladder, looking noticeably more tense than before. 

His posture was straight, shoulders rolled back, muscles tense, and he was spotting a scowl that he himself was probably unaware of. 

Feeling unexpectedly awkward and not knowing what to say, Alec just kept watching Magnus who was drying himself off with a clean towel he took from one of the shelves by the wall. 

The other agent must have felt Alec's eyes on him as he stopped what he was doing to look back at his partner. 

“What? If you want to flirt with someone, I don't mind,” Magnus stated, throwing the towel over his shoulder, and strolled for the exit. “It's not like we're married or anything,” he added while moving past Alec. 

Alec watched Magnus’ retreating form with his mouth gaping, dumbfounded by the thrown comment. Alec knew it was in Magnus’ style to joke around with a straight face and be unfazed by things that don't personally concern him, but something just felt off this time. Could he be-? No, he couldn't let his mind trick him into thinking this way. It can't be.

Magnus Bane truly was a mystery. And he confused the hell out of Alec.  
______

The moment the apartment door clicked shut after Magnus he was calling out Ami’s name, the girl rushing to the hallway only to follow a serious looking Magnus into the main bedroom and to his laptop. 

“You know anything about a certain Aidan?” 

“Aidan Paulson?” Ami asked, utterly confused. “The neighbour?” 

“So that's his surname,” Magnus muttered, vigorously typing on the keyboard. 

“Just that he's been living a floor above for a couple of years now and he always stops to talk to us if we bump into each other somewhere,” Ami informed him. “He seems like a nice guy.” 

“Ran into him at the swimming pool. He was hitting on your _dad_ ,” he made sure to emphasize the word “dad.” 

Ami’s eyes widened. “What?! Ew! No, you can't let this happen!” 

“Don't worry about it, kid. To be honest, Alec isn't really falling for his charms, he just looks awkward and lost,” Magnus assured the girl. “It would be funny to watch if the guy wasn't so annoying.” 

“Surely it's all about the guy being annoying,” she quipped, noticing how Magnus’ nose wrinkled slightly at the thought. 

The sound of the front door opening and closing alerted them of Alec's arrival and it didn't take long for him to join the two in the bedroom. 

“Back to work already?” Alec asked, ruffling his still damp hair.

“He's running a background check on Aidan,” Ami stated bluntly.

“Don't you think they have already done it?” 

Magnus kept scrolling through the page, looking focused. 

“Of course they did,” Ami confirmed. 

But Magnus wasn't listening, he needed to see for himself or he wouldn't rest. 

Realizing that there was no point in trying to stop Magnus, Alec let out an exasperated breath and settled on the chair Magnus occupied yesterday. 

“So, what did you find?”

“Nothing interesting. He's clean,” Magnus admitted reluctantly, the tension in his shoulders finally slowly uncurling. “Twenty three years old, born and raised in New York. Graduated from New York University with an accounting degree, now working as a CPA blah blah blah, all the boring stuff.” 

Magnus laid back against the chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I still don't trust him.” 

“You don't trust anyone,” Alec pointed out. 

“And I’m right in doing so.” Magnus threw Alec a challenging look, as if daring him to argue the point. 

It would be easy to fall for provocation and kick up a fight now. Magnus was clearly in his snarky mood when he just needed someone to fuel the fire he was so kindly stirring up for them. 

Alec himself was the kind of person who could argue any point of view, even if it's not his own. But not this one, this was the truth. They can't trust anyone, not here.

“Go take a shower, you still smell like chlorine,” he said instead. 

Magnus made a face at him but promptly rose to his feet and strode to the main bathroom without even stopping to grab any fresh clothes. 

“Doesn't he seem a bit snappy to you today?” Alec asked Ami in a hushed voice. The chances of Magnus hearing him over the shower spray were low but it's better to be safe than sorry, right? 

“Didn't get enough sleep,” Ami shrugged. 

Alec just hummed in acceptance.  
______

About twenty minutes later Magnus exited the main bathroom feeling less tense and agitated only to find Alec already working on something at the vanity. 

Due to his dramatic exit earlier, Magnus was now standing in a towel that was loosely wrapped around his hips, and in the process of drying his hair with another one. Luckily for Alec, or rather his sanity, the man didn't spare Magnus a glance and kept typing on his laptop.

_Wait, what?!_

The realization struck Magnus like lightning and he dropped the towel he used to dry his hair on the floor and rushed to Alec’s side to make sure he was seeing right. 

“You managed to unlock your laptop in the twenty minutes I was gone for?” Magnus exclaimed, incredulous, now standing behind his partner and peering at the screen over his shoulder. 

“Actually, I did it yesterday while you were playing chef. Now I'm just downloading the same data we got in yours.”

Alec's reply only made Magnus huff in disbelief. “And when were you gonna tell me?” 

Alec gave him a weak shrug, causing Magnus to step from behind him and place himself in Alec's clear sight so he could stare him down reproachfully.

“You're impossible,” he chided.

Alec’s head stayed unmoving but his eyes flickered to Magnus and fell on his bare torso that Magnus seemed to have forgotten about. 

“And you're shamelessly undressed, again,” he pointed out, looking at the other man up and down.

“So what was the password?” Magnus wondered, choosing to ignore Alec's previous observation.

“Zeus7,” Alec stated plainly. 

So Magnus had some questions. 

“What's seven?” 

Alec simply shook his head. “Nothing, just my lucky number.”

The silence that followed Alec's answer prompted him to go back to work while the other agent was staring blankly at the floor, tapping his knuckles against the vanity surface, his lips pursed. 

After another minute of tense silence, Alec sighed audibly and drew his gaze back to Magnus and his frowny face. “Just say what you want to say already.”

Magnus seemed to contemplate that for a brief second before he blurted out the question that he couldn't contain, “Your password is a cat's name?” 

Okay, maybe that sounded the tiniest bit more accusing than Magnus indented it to, but thinking back to his own password he just couldn't help but feel irrationally a little offended. 

“Yes,” Alec affirmed, giving his partner a weird look. “Now would you please just put some clothes on? I’ve seen you in different states of undress more times than should be allowed in the last couple of days.” 

_Right, the idiot didn't know._

Shaking his head at himself and the mess that were his thoughts, Magnus went to grab some clothes from his duffel bag and went back into the bathroom to get dressed.  
______

The rest of the day was spent hunched over the blueprints and their laptops, searching, studying, memorizing. Until the conversation couldn't be put aside much longer. At least not when it was eating at Magnus all the damn time and the desire to get it over with was likely to drive him mad if he put it off again. 

Summoning up all his courage and taking a deep breath, Magnus put a piece of paper aside to look at Alec, who was still frowning down at his own copy.

“Alec, about the infiltration,” he started, hoping to gain the man's full attention but he only got a brisk “yeah, we’ll talk about it but not now,” Alec proceeding to write down some coordinates. 

Not letting Alec's dismissal discourage him this time, he reached out and placed his hand on top of Alec's, stopping him mid writing. “Alexander, we need to talk about it now.” Magnus’ voice was still as quiet but sounded more determined and urgent now. 

It wasn't hard to tell by Alec's face that he was avoiding the subject like a plague. By the way his shoulders tensed and he straightened up before heaving a deep sigh and slumping against the back of his chair, defeated. 

“Let me guess, you're gonna try and convince me you should be the one to get in?” Alec kept his voice as quiet as the other man’s, something people often did when bringing up a sensitive topic, as if just talking about it can get you hurt. 

They were now facing each other, no matter how much Magnus might have wanted to keep his warm hand on Alec's cold one, for comfort nonetheless, he had his hands clasped back on his lap. 

“Give me one reason why I shouldn't go in,” he whispered, not tearing his eyes away from Alec's intense look.

_Because I’m scared you won't come back,_ Alec thought. 

“Give me one reason it should be you,” he said in a hoarse voice instead, swallowing past the lump forming in his throat. 

Magnus answered without skipping a beat. “You're better at breaking into things with computers and managing all those cameras and security systems. I’ll be less helpful sitting here behind the screen than you would be in this situation. Only by combining our strongest sides will we achieve the most efficient result.”

Alec's jaw tensed and he looked like he was about to protest but instead, his shoulders sagged even more than Magnus thought was possible for his stoic form. 

Magnus sat at the very edge of his chair, scooting closer to the other agent. So close that their knees were almost touching. “Let me do it, Alexander,” he pleaded, letting the smallest bit of desperation flow into his voice. “I can do it.” 

“I know,” Alec assured him, interrupting Magnus’ next pleas. “I don't doubt your abilities.” 

The weight of Magnus’ expectant gaze pushed Alec to look away and rubbed a hand over his face in defeat. 

“Okay,” he breathed out eventually. 

“Okay?” 

“Yeah, let’s do it this way.” Alec's face morphed into a mask of indifference, a pretense Magnus could still see through. He was prepared to get a nod of resignation or reluctant agreement, but he didn't expect Alec to hide what he actually felt on the topic.

The question of why Alexander Lightwood was scared at the prospect was the one Magnus didn't let himself ponder on as the answer might be something he wasn't ready to unpack just yet.  
______

Sitting in the kitchen eating his share of dinner, that Alec insisted he cooked this time, Magnus couldn't help but feel stiff all over. His whole body was tense, his nerves were on edge. 

He was way too familiar with this feeling, getting it every single time before a mission, whether it's a minor one or a bigger one. He would wake up with it, trepidation building in the pit of his stomach. 

Many would think Magnus Bane was fearless, others would say he was used to throwing himself into danger. But the truth was, no matter how many times he did it, he would always hide that nagging anxiety under the facade of indifference, sheer determination every single soul could see radiating off him. Special agent Magnus Bane was just a human after all.

Tapping his finger against the tabletop, he bit on his lower lip. All signs of his building agitation on sight for anyone paying attention to see. It was his luck that neither Alec, nor Ami were studying him with their observant eyes, too busy chit-chatting about the girl's school project she was apparently doing with that Jayden friend of hers. 

He was sneaking into the beast’s lair, alone. He would have Alec giving him directions and undoubtedly salty remarks, because of course he would, but one glitch in their line of communication and he's on his own. 

Magnus gulped audibly, his eyes fixed on the tiny speck of dust on the surface of the kitchen island, the weight of responsibility pushing down on him.

They were ready. They talked through everything, all the blueprints were studied ten times too many, the earpieces tested. Give Magnus his boot knife, a couple of gas grenades and a suppressed Ruger MK 2 (not that he was planning on killing anyone but if it came to this, the last thing he'd want would be getting heard) and he was ready to go.

The thing was, they still had four more days. Four days of Magnus overthinking and agonizing over this mission and all of his life decisions. Four more days and the fear was already there, growing, sending chills down his body.

The distress was always there. The fear of failing, the fear of losing his team members, the fear of misstepping and being the reason innocent civilians lost their lives, the fear of not getting back.

Usually it would be pushed down, replaced by the strategy, all the numbers and names he would have to keep in his head, his attention needed elsewhere, his human side switched off, the soldier, almost robotic side working full mode. 

There would be no time to stall, for anxiety to grip and strangle him. No time for fear. But now? Now they had four days and Magnus just couldn't stop _thinking._

Another thing he couldn't stop from swirling around in his head was Alec's sudden reluctance to let him go into Sebastian's headquarters despite knowing it's their best chance. 

Could it be that Alec's previous antipathy towards him hid more behind it? Was it possible that it wasn't aimed at Magnus himself but more at the feeling he was evoking in his partner, akin to the one Magnus could feel arousing somewhere deep in his chest more and more every hour of every day. 

Could Magnus let himself hope? Should he?

_No._ At least not now. 

Suddenly he had an idea.  
______

From the corner of his eye, Magnus noticed Alec appeared in the doorway of the main bedroom just when he was standing at the vanity, applying finishing touches on his kohl adorned eyes. 

“Going somewhere?”

Magnus made a whole body spin to meet the other agent’s gaze. 

“In fact, I am,” Magnus declared with a smile, pretending not to notice Alec's eyes lingering on his glistening chapstick covered lips before traveling down his half-exposed chest. 

“May I ask where?” 

Magnus hummed, a new air of easiness to him. “Of course you may, Alexander,” he said with a light chuckle. “Pandemonium.”

Seeing Alec's eyes narrowed in confusion, he clarified, “the club of the future.”

Alec blinked at him dumbly before-

“Yeah, no.”

The adamant reply made Magnus drop the eyeliner back to the vanity, his eyebrows going up.

“Excuse me?”

“You can't go clubbing, Magnus. We're in the middle of a mission.” 

There was a hint of incredibility in his voice but Magnus just waved him off. “The mission that's in four days and the one we’re ready for,” he pointed out before turning back to the mirror and proceeding to gel his hair up.

“This is really not the time to have fun,” Alec tried to reason with him. “Besides, it can be dangerous going out in public like this, alone.”

Alec could see the strained smile falling off Magnus’ face, his body losing its previous lightness. “Do you have anything better for us to do?” Alec's silence spoke volumes. “No? Thought so.” 

“Magnus, listen-”

“No,” Magnus suddenly barked out, making Alec flinch. “No, Alec, you listen,” he took a few steps closer to the other man, his voice gaining a tone of desperation. “You might be able to block all those thoughts in your brain using one of your perfect techniques but I can't! I can't just push it away when it's eating at me every living second! You might be able to sit on the couch in front of the TV for the next four days but the fate of the whole world depends on gaining that access and it's not you who has the responsibility of getting to that control panel, _it's me!_ ” he exclaimed, making Alec wince at the wrong implication.

He was being unfair, he knew he was. He was the one who convinced Alec to let him be the one to break in mere hours ago because he didn't want the other agent to go. He still didn't. It didn't mean _he_ wanted to go. Alec didn't deserve this, Magnus knew it, but he was stressed and scared and everything came out wrong.

In his outburst, Magnus hadn't noticed when he got so close to Alec that he was practically hissing in his face while poking his firm chest. Not that he seemed to care, either.

“I _need_ this. I need to get my mind off things,” he howled, not caring that he sounded almost on the verge of hysterical. “So either get out of my way or get dressed and let's go before I lose my goddamn mind.” 

Silence fell between them. For a few seconds, nothing except Magnus’ panting could be heard before Alec broke it with a quiet “okay.” He looked at Magnus with an unreadable expression on his face before releasing an exhausted sigh and turning to walk away. 

Magnus felt his heart fall at Alec's retreating from. He couldn't help but let disappointment seep through his whole being. Disappointment in himself or in Alec's silent rejection, he didn't know.

But what else did he expect after snapping at the man out of the blue? Alec was just being reasonable and Magnus felt like an asshole. He just needed to cool off and then he would apologize and hope for Alec's forgiveness. 

The sound of the guest room door being shut felt like a slap to Magnus. All his previous feelings were replaced by a new one, guilt.

Running his hand through his perfectly styled hair he let out a loud groan of frustration.  
______

Exiting the room ten minutes of self-loathing later, Magnus stopped dead in his tracks. Alec was standing by the front door, all dressed up in a dark pair of jeans and a leather jacket, shuffling from foot to foot. 

He must have heard Magnus’ steps as he was now looking right at his frozen form, eyebrows raised questioningly. “Are you coming?” 

_Oh._

A foreign sensation washed over him. He realized he couldn't remember the last time someone cared for him. Not because they owed him something or wanted something from him. Just simply genuinely cared. 

“Magnus?”

“Uh, yeah,” he stuttered, now feeling like even more of an idiot. 

He couldn't believe this man. Magnus had snapped at him and Alec was still willing to go with him just so he wouldn't have to be left alone. 

Magnus’ heart swelled at the display of care and concern he had never seen anyone show him, guilt churning heavily in his stomach for even implying Alec would let Magnus risk his life and take all the responsibility without giving a care in the world. 

From the other end of the hallway he could see Ami sending him a small comforting smile, as if saying _it’s gonna be okay, everyone makes mistakes, everyone says things they don't mean sometimes, you're allowed to be wrong, you're allowed to be forgiven as long as you admit your mistakes and learn from them._

Magnus smiled back at her, even though he knew she could see that it didn't reach his eyes, before following Alec out of the apartment and into the cold night air.  
______

The streets of New York were buzzing with life at the late hour, cars honking on every corner, people stumbling back home, bars and restaurants, some laughing on their way to another wild party. And then there were Alec and Magnus, walking silently five feet apart. 

The tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife. It felt like it was building and building until Magnus couldn't bear it anymore, grabbing at the sleeve of Alec's jacket and dragging him to the side urgently. 

The look on the man’s face tells Magnus he already knows what he's about to say. He says it nonetheless. “Alexander, I’m sorry.” 

Alec let out a deep breath, his tightly clenched jaw losing its tension at Magnus’ soft voice. 

“I really am sorry for snapping at you, for what I implied, for being rude,” he kept apologizing, searching Alec's eyes for a trace of any kind of emotion. “I just want you to know I didn't mean it.” 

Another beat, another deep breath, and Alec spoke. 

“Magnus, if you changed your mind and if you rather I go in, you know I’m willing to-”

“No,” Magnus hurried to cut him off, almost desperately. “No, no, nothing changed.” 

Seeing that Alec wasn't going to protest, Magnus’ grasp on Alec's sleeve loosened. 

“I wasn't thinking about what I was saying and for that I’m sorry. I didn't mean to offend you,” he said more calmly now. “Can you forgive me?”

“Of course I forgive you, Magnus. I wasn't mad at you. I was just...confused.” 

Magnus’ eyes fell down to the ground. 

“Hey,” Alec called out softly. “I know it's been hard on you, you're allowed to feel scared and stressed and frustrated. You don't have to bottle it up, though. Not when you have people who could listen to you talk about it instead.”

Magnus’ eyes were back on Alec, staring deeply into his honest hazel ones.

“Here's the thing, though. _You’re_ allowed to feel it all too. You're just as big of a part of this mission as I am. We're in this together and I know we share the responsibility, and the way I said it made it seem as if it was easier for you. I know it's not, I _know_ that.” He stopped to sigh deeply, shaking his head. “I didn't mean to make you feel like you were less.”

“I know,” Alec assured him, his hand moving up to squeeze Magnus’ shoulder. “I understand.” 

The other agent searched Alec's eyes for a trace of doubt and felt himself relax, finding none.

“Now come on, you wanted to get your mind off things, so let's go do just that.” Alec's hand tugged at Magnus’ arm, leading him back to the sidewalk. Magnus pleasantly noticed his voice sounding more light now. 

“So we're good?” He couldn't help but make sure as they proceeded to walk down the street towards the club. Their shoulders were a hairbreadth apart now, forgetting about the previous distance, both emotional and physical. They were almost bumping into each other, both men glad they had cleared it up. 

“As good as we get,” Alec teased him. 

Magnus watched his lips spread into a grin, clearly satisfied with his own wit. 

_Dork_ , Magnus thought, unable to stop himself from mirroring the smile for the rest of the walk.  
______

“The club of the future, huh?” 

Magnus glared at Alec who was busy looking around the club, unimpressed expression coloring his face. 

The thing was, Pandemonium wasn't much different from the clubs back in their time. It looked new, the tabletops polished to the point they were shining, catching the light reflecting from a huge disco ball and about a dozen crystal candelabras hanging from the ceiling. 

The club was also huge and despite being an open club it looked rich. There were multiple bar zones all swarmed up with people, the second floor for those who came here for the food and a chit chat was overlooking the whole club, couples leaning against the banister.

On the first floor, beautiful people wrapped in leather and exotic silks lounged in plush booths surrounding the dance floor, faces flushed, mischievous eyes glowing in a flickering neon light. 

“Well, at least it’s fancy,” Magnus commented before stopping his own inspection to look at Alec. “Come on, let's grab a drink.” 

Pushing their way through the crowd they reached one of the bars that was the closest to the dance floor. They stood side by side, eyes looking through the cocktail menu when a young girl of about twenty-five approached them from behind the bar.

“What can I get you, gentlemen?” She wondered with a friendly smile. 

“One blue lagoon, please,” Alec replied immediately. 

Ordering himself a dry martini, Magnus fixed his gaze on the bartender, who seemed to be studying Alec's face far too closely for it to be casual. 

The girl must have noticed Magnus catching her gawking at his partner as her cheeks flushed and she sent him an apologetic smile. 

“Oh, sorry for this intense staring,” she laughed awkwardly. “You just look like someone I saw here before but slightly different, it's weird but yeah,” the girl trailed off, not tearing her eyes away from Alec. 

“I get that a lot,” he smiled back at the girl, ignoring the pang of panic that surged through his body.

“Here are your drinks, enjoy,” she chirped joyously before turning her attention to other party-goers.

Gulping down his first drink of the night, Magnus contemplated ordering another one but decided against it. Getting drunk wasn't his intention tonight, it was unwinding, feeling free and alive, feeling human. 

With that thought, he put an empty glass down on the bar with a thump and let himself be pulled into the pool of bodies sensually grinding against each other. 

The moment he stepped onto the dance floor he could feel hot rough hands running along his arms and shoulders. Another warm body plastered itself to his back, hands roaming his sides shamelessly. A handsome young man was swaying his hips a hairbreadth away from Magnus, trying to grasp his attention, while a gorgeous blonde pressed herself closer from behind, dancing back to back. 

But Magnus didn't pay them a speck of attention. He was alone on the dance floor teeming with thousands of people, his eyes closed, his head thrown back and a smile tugging at his lips as his body found a rhythm, becoming one with the music.  
______

From his place at the bar Alec watched Magnus getting lost in the high the smoky air and a thump of bass took him to. 

The man looked like he was made for this, he looked natural in the wild atmosphere of the club, like he belonged there. He was swaying to the music, hands in the air, body moving like an uncoiling rope, eyes on fire.

More than one pair of eyes were on him, filled with desire, but Magnus’ eyes were unfocused, as he was looking through the people without actually seeing them before his eyes would flick to Alec now and then, as if to check if he was still there. 

Turning away from the sight of Magnus, that was making him hot all over, if he was being honest, his eyes dropped down to the second drink he was nursing.

Alec was a regular club visitor when it came to missions as lots of dirty business went down under the darkness of a night club, but he rarely went there for pleasure. Sometimes he made an exception for overexcited Izzy or attention-seeking Jace but mainly just so he could look after them as a responsible big brother that he was.

Seeing Magnus enjoying himself, he let his mind wander back to his siblings until he saw Magnus’ place being occupied from the corner of his eye. Surprise flashed across his face when he saw it wasn't his partner who sat next to him, but a good looking sturdy man, who was now smirking at him suggestively. 

Alec suppressed the urge to groan and roll his eyes into the next week at the situation he found himself in. He really wasn't in the mood to be hit on and flirted with, at least not by that guy, or any other guy, really, except maybe- 

“Hey there, handsome. Let me buy you a drink,” the said guy offered in a deep voice. 

Not wanting to look suspicious, Alec plastered a fake smile and murmured a quiet “hi”, praying for the man to see through his pretenses and leave him alone as soon as possible. 

“Uh thanks, I already have one,” he waved at the drink he had in his hand, noticing that the man’s hand was wrapped around his own cocktail glass. 

So he clearly wasn't there for a drink, he came up to Alec specifically.

“Oh, come on, let me treat you to one more of those,” the man sent him a wink that almost made Alec cringe visibly. “You look too serious for a place like this.” 

Alec opened his mouth to give some lame excuse he had just come up with when he felt the guy’s hand cover his own laying casually at the top of the bar while his other hand hovered over Alec's thigh, as if waiting for Alec to give him permission. 

He knew he could flip the guy over the table and send him flying without putting much effort into it but he couldn't make a scene in the middle of the club if he wanted to keep his profile low. Struggling to keep calm, he removed the man’s hands in the most polite way possible, the blunt rejection at the tip of his tongue, as he saw a perfectly manicured finger tap the guy's leather-clad shoulder. 

A flirty smirk slipped from the man’s face as he swirled around, giving Alec a clear view of Magnus standing right in front of them. 

He could see Magnus’ lips spreading into a self-satisfied grin, which could only mean he was about to do something he found undoubtedly amusing. 

“Excuse me, he's married.”

_And there it goes._

Alec watched as the man looked back at him with wide eyes, and then back at Magnus who was now happily wiggling his fingers of the left hand in front of the guy’s face, a sparkling silver ring shining on his ring finger. 

The guy huffed indignantly and slipped out of the barstool, rushing to disappear into the wall of people. 

Seeing Magnus take his place by his side, Alec let out a breath of relief he wasn't aware he was holding.

“You're welcome,” Magnus said smugly, taking the ring off and putting it back on his right hand. 

Alec couldn't help but let out a snort, shaking his head at Magnus’ advances. 

“Now that I saved your cute ass, come with me to the dance floor?” the other agent offered and Alec's brain might as well have short-circuited. 

_Was Magnus asking him to dance with him? Was Magnus flirting with him?_

“Dancing is not really my thing,” he said instead, hoping his reluctance wasn't that obvious in his voice.

“Well, then,” Magnus muttered hesitantly.

Alec saw something akin to disappointment flicker through Magnus’ eyes for a second before he looked unfazed by the rejection, making Alec think he imagined the previous emotion. 

“You know where to find me,” he threw over his shoulder, retreating back into the crowd, his voice gaining that confident tone back, leaving Alec alone with his thoughts again.

The truth was, he wanted to surrender himself to that deep-seated desire and take Magnus’ hand along with his offer and be pulled into the dance, but now wasn't the time to indulge himself. He had to remember that, to keep his head clear.  
______

Ten minutes and another glass of blue lagoon later and Alec felt his body relaxing against his own will. His head was spinning and he had trouble concentrating. He felt drunk but he knew he wasn't. He knew his limits well enough to sense when he needed to stop. 

The air around him was charged, electric. The sound of people's feet moving to the crazy beat thumping in his ears along with the thumping of his own heart. The tickle of alcohol and soda in his stomach made his face flush. He felt dizzy. Something felt off.

_So much for keeping his head clear._

Hurrying to get to Magnus, he ignored the growing feeling of nausea, rushing away from the bar and into the crowd. The moment he found himself squeezed between unfamiliar people the feeling of agitation started growing. He whipped his head from one side to the other, searching for the familiar flock of dark spiky hair. 

He felt himself being pushed around, losing his coordination, his vision blurring. He wanted to call for Magnus, yell his name, but his own tongue felt alien in his mouth, unmoving despite all these efforts. 

Alec didn't know where Magnus was. Hell, he was about to lose the sense of where _he_ was. It wasn't a new feeling to Alec. He felt it before. He knew exactly what was happening. Someone had drugged him.

His rapid pulse and the sound of his uneven breathing were overpowering the deafening bass of music. His legs wobbled and he prepared himself for the contact his suddenly heavy body would make with the concrete floor. He felt himself falling, everything happening in slow motion, but instead of hitting a cold floor he felt a pair of strong arms catching him, maneuvering his hand to be hooked over the person's neck.

Alec felt relief wash over him but the feeling was short-lived as the panic gripped him once again when another pair of hands held him up from the other side, proceeding to drag him god knows where to.

He might be completely out of it but he was sure Magnus only owned one pair of hands, which could only mean one thing. 

He was being kidnapped and his body refused to cooperate and defend itself.  
______

Swaying his hips to the music with less enthusiasm than before, Magnus couldn't pretend everything that happened before hadn't left a bittersweet taste in his mouth. 

Alec declined his offer but maybe he was just embarrassed by his lack of dancing skills? And what was it with people today being all over Alexander? Not that he could blame them, the man did look like a snack after all, dressed in those tight jeans and a grey t-shirt that clung to his body in the best way possible.

Speaking of Alec, his eyes darted back to where the agent was sitting the whole night, only to find the place empty. Magnus’ brows furrowed, his body halting to a stop. 

Giving the space within his clear sight a quick check-up and not spotting the familiar figure, he pushed away a couple of people fighting for his attention and dashed through the crowd.

He searched the whole floor, twirling around every tall dark-haired man on his way, not caring that he looked like a maniac. Something felt off about this and Magnus felt his chest clench when the second floor proved to be just as Alec-less as the first one.

Leaning over the railing, desperately trying to catch his breath, Magnus let his eyes roam over the buzzing crowd once again. A tall figure stumbling aimlessly towards the bathroom door caught his eye and his eyes narrowed, looking closer. 

Magnus’ heart leaped in his chest as he recognized his partner. A second later he registered Alec looking drunk, swaying on his feet, but Magnus knew he hadn't drunk that much. It wasn't the alcohol that reduced Alec to this inebriated state.

_Shit._

Magnus darted down the stairs, making a beeline for the place he saw Alec in, careless of the grumbling people he pushed around on his way. 

By the time he reached the place, Alec was gone. Magnus looked around frantically, his heart threatening to jump out of his chest as the trepidation was rising within him. 

Dashing into the badly lit bathroom, he slammed the door of the first cubicle open, unbothered by the screams of the shocked couple pressed together at the wall of the stall, before moving to another one, and then another, until they all ran out and Alec was still nowhere to be found. 

Accompanied by the yelling of disgruntled patrons, Magnus rushed out of the bathroom and without giving himself a second to think zoomed back to the bar they originally were sitting at. 

The bartender was busy mixing another cocktail while chatting with some customers, but Magnus didn't have time to wait. Calling out to her and waving his hands to grasp her attention, he almost flung himself over the bar. 

It could be the urgency in his voice or the way his eyes were blown wide with panic that made her stop what she was doing and move towards him with a confused expression. 

“Excuse me, have you seen my friend?” He blurted out without even waiting for her to ask and his heart sank at the apologetic look she gave him.

“Sorry, haven't seen him here for a while. But maybe try to look in the back alley if he's not here. Some people choose to go there for a breath of fresh air or a quick smoke. Ironic, I know-”

Staying only long enough to throw a quick thanks the girl’s way, he sprinted for the black metal door at the far end of the building, barely visible in the darkness of the club. 

Thousands of thoughts flooded his head. It was all his fault. He dragged Alec here. It was his stupid idea and now the other man would suffer the consequences. 

As an agent, he knew it could be risky but it's not like he jumped into the opportunity headfirst without contemplating it first. No one knew they were here and no one knew who they were. No one knew about the mission. They were supposed to be safe here now. 

Two thoughts were waging a battle in his head, the one that was telling him he couldn't have known something like this would happen and the one saying he shouldn't have left Alec alone.

He would never forgive himself if something happened to Alexander because of him.

What felt like ages later Magnus was standing in front of the back door, hand reaching for the handle. Next second he burst through the door, praying to all the gods he could remember he wasn't too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! <3  
> Leave your thoughts, reactions and theories in the comments and on twitter. Some tweets aren't showing in the hashtag for some reason so you can always @ me, it's alightbane.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I found solace in the strangest place  
> Way in the back of my mind  
> I saw my life in a stranger's face  
> And it was mine
> 
> I had a one-way ticket to a place where all the demons go  
> Where the wind don't change  
> And nothing in the ground can ever grow  
> No hope, just lies  
> And you're taught to cry into your pillow  
> But I survived  
> -Alive by Sia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyy, I'm finally back with a new chapter! This one is a rollercoaster and a lot of things happen, the plot thickens so be prepared!
> 
> The process of writing this fic is going slower than I originally expected but at least it's going lmao
> 
> Also, thank you all for your comments and reactions, nothing encourages me more!! <3 A couple of people mentioned that it meant something to them that I implied that Magnus' mom was Muslim, and that touched me, not gonna lie.
> 
> A huge thank you goes to my savior [Meisha](https://twitter.com/wesperkanej) who has to deal with my mistakes and typos all the time <3
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter and don't forget to use #OTEONTfic if you live-tweet it! The tag is acting up sometimes so feel free to tag me on twitter (@alightbane) :)
> 
> Trigger warnings for this chapter are sickness and violence.

A gust of cold ice-like wind slapped Magnus in the face the second he stumbled through the door, along with the thick smell of cigarettes and alcohol. 

A dead end to his right stopped him in his tracks. Whipping his head to the left, breath leaving him in heavy pants as the familiar feeling of adrenaline surged through his veins. And there he saw them. 

Two bulky men carrying a barely conscious man towards the car parked on the street, the man he recognized to be Alec.

Without sparing a second Magnus rushed after the men, his feet not making a sound against the pavement. The moment he got close enough to be noticed, he threw a punch to the man’s temple, not giving him any time to comprehend what was going on. Swaying to the side, the man momentarily tightened his hold on Alec, who was dangling between him and his partner, before letting go and putting Alec's weight on the other man to surge at Magnus.  
As he dodged the fist that was about to meet his face, Magnus realized two things at once. 

One, these men were trained. Two, Alec was their priority as the other man kept moving towards the car instead of aiding his partner. 

With every second that went by the man was dragging Alec further and further away. Magnus knew he didn't have any time to spare on finesse. Catching the man’s fist mid strike, he took his chance and aimed for his jaw with a smooth uppercut. When Magnus’ fist connected with the other man's face he fell to the ground with a loud thump, successfully knocking him out.

The other one carrying Alec must have heard the sound of his partner's body hitting the ground as he sped up in pace, at least, as much as you can while handling another person’s weight on you. And Alec was no feather. Magnus reached them just in time, the car only a couple of steps away. The man reached for whatever weapon he had in his inner pocket with his free hand but Magnus was quicker as he expertly jabbed his fingers into the opponent’s throat.

Alec must’ve been still holding onto some form of consciousness as Magnus watched him bend his heavy limbs to his will and fight back, his hand reaching up to claw at the man’s eyes, making him loosen his hold on Alec. Not hesitating and using every second Alec gave him, Magnus surged forward, his elbow hitting the man’s temple, leaving him scrambling down the wall like a dead bug.

Magnus moved swiftly to catch Alec’s swaying body and wrapped his hand around his waist, supporting his weight. 

Right when they were about to finally emerge from the alley, Magnus was already sweeping the road for an available cab when a door of the waiting car cracked open right in front of them and Magnus’ leg instinctively kicked up to slam the door shut, subsequently sending the driver flying back into his seat. 

The next thing he knew, he was placing Alec’s palms flat against the roof of the old SUV, telling him to lean on it and “please keep yourself from falling face first on the pavement while I deal with this.” Those seconds were enough for the man to come out of the car and punch Magnus in the ribs before he could even fully turn around to face the attacker. 

Magnus’ disgruntled groan reached Alec’s frazzled brain, causing him to mumble a barely intelligible “M’gnus?” and get a croaked out “just a second” that Magnus wasn't even sure he heard. 

Spurred by his partner's current state and the man’s hit, Magnus let himself get slightly unprofessional and kicked the man in the balls before grabbing the left side of his face and slamming his head against the window of his own car, not hard enough to cause any permanent damage but hard enough to knock him out for a couple of hours and give the man a generous bonus in the form of concussion. 

As the man joined his colleagues on the cold ground, Magnus wrapped Alec's hand back around his shoulders and moved to catch the closest cab, muttering a chain of “it’s okay”, “you're safe” and “we're going back to the apartment” in a breathless whisper, not quite sure if it was more for Alec’s sake or his own. 

Magnus managed to shove his partner on the back seat before sliding beside him and giving the address to the cabbie. He pulled Alec closer so he would be leaning against his side. The other agent mumbled something incoherent and his head lolled to the side to rest on Magnus’ shoulder. 

The driver darted a glance at them through the rear view mirror, his eyes meeting Magnus’. Seeing the man’s suspicious glance Magnus sent him a tight-lipped smile. “My boyfriend just had too much to drink. Never knows when to stop, this one,” he patted Alec's shoulder lightly.

The driver didn't say anything but returned his gaze back to the road. 

It wasn't a long way to go but Alec’s body and mind were in no state to stay active, and soon his eyes started to droop. 

“Hey, don't fall asleep on me,” Magnus murmured into Alec's hair making the other man hum in acknowledgement, even though Magnus wasn't sure he heard the meaning behind those words. 

The car stopped a block away from their building, just as Magnus had asked, and he climbed out of it before tugging Alec with him and resuming their previous position with Alec's arm around Magnus’ shoulders and his own arm around the other’s waist. 

They were moving slowly along the street, Alec groaning and moaning in protest at Magnus’ occasional attempts to quicken the pace. He felt dizzy and managed to mumble something that sounded a lot like “gonna be sick” to which Magnus told him to wait just a few minutes and concentrate on moving his legs.

He did try to concentrate on walking until his legs buckled and Magnus had no choice but to scoop him up and carry him bridal style the rest of the way. Magnus wasn’t a weak man but Alec wasn't a small one, which meant Magnus put him down as soon as they entered the elevator, holding him against the wall, panting into the silent space. 

Dragging Alec into the apartment felt like a win and Magnus let himself take a breath of relief knowing they were safe there. As he struggled to take Alec's jacket off he didn't notice Ami standing in front of them until he turned to take him to the bathroom. 

“Is he drugged?” she asked bluntly. 

Magnus hesitated, a stupid lie on the tip of his tongue for the sake of the kid who was too smart and perceptive for her own good. 

“Yeah,” he breathed out instead. 

Ami nodded tersely before moving out of their way. 

Magnus took Alec to the main bathroom and helped him crouch in front of the toilet, placing his hands to hold onto it. Alec's body swayed and he looked nauseous as he clutched at the seat to stay upright. 

A few minutes later Magnus found himself sitting on the bathroom floor, holding Alec’s shaking body as he was emptying his guts. When there was nothing left to throw up Alec’s whole body seized and he started dry-heaving, his face now wet with tears that always followed such a state.

As soon as another bout stopped and Alec didn't look like he was about to puke again, Magnus went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water for him. Ami was sitting in her usual place staring at the wall blankly. By the way she was chewing on her lip Magnus could tell she was more worried than she let on. 

“Must be GBH,” he said, moving to the cupboard. “Will be out of his system in 12 hours tops.” 

The girl acknowledged the information with a simple hum.

Entering the bathroom, he saw Alec’s pliant body slumped over the toilet, his head resting on the cold porcelain. He put a glass of water on the shelf above the sink and kneeled next to his partner. 

“None of that. That's what we're not gonna do,” he said, tugging Alec away from the toilet and hoisting him up. “Come on, agent, up.” 

Alec groaned at the movement and fell backwards to seat at the edge of the tub. Magnus handed him a glass of water and talked him through gargling, rinsing his mouth and drinking before taking a small towel and letting it soak in cold water. 

The other man looked like he was about to pass out at any given moment for the lack of energy and Magnus feared he would fall back and hit his head on the marble bath. He tilted Alec's chin up and carefully wiped his whole face clean of sweat, tears and vomit left in the corners of his mouth. 

His own stomach churned at the sight of his partner looking paler than usual and the strong smell of bile filling the room. It was at that moment he realized it wasn't disgust that made him sick, it was an intense feeling of worry that stayed with him this whole time, pushed aside by the adrenaline. 

Moving the barely conscious man to the main room, as it was the closest one, Magnus sat him on the edge of the bed and proceeded to take off his boots. He then moved to his jeans, keeping his eyes down at his feet respectfully before helping the man into a soft pair of sweatpants. Luckily his shirt wasn't stained so it could be left on. 

Apparently Alec was still responsive as he instinctively crawled up the bed to sink his face into the fluffy pillow. Magnus moved to the vacant side to drape the rest of the cover over Alec's form, just like he did that morning, before taking the second pillow and holding Alec's head with one hand placing it on top of the first one. The last thing he wanted was for Alec to choke on his own vomit, were he to throw up again at some point in the night. 

Completely depleted, he flopped on the bed next to the other agent. He moved himself so he was sitting against the headboard as he wasn't planning on sleeping tonight in favor of keeping an eye on Alec. 

Only when Alec's breathing slowed down and his body relaxed against Magnus’ side, did he let himself feel his own exhaustion wash over him. He felt absolutely tapped out. His head fell back against the wall with a dull thud and he closed his eyes, taking a deep shaky breath. 

He opened his eyes to see Ami standing in the doorway, her eyes fixed on them, her face painted with more sorrow than any child of fourteen years should experience. 

Even in the dark Magnus could tell her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. She looked troubled by dozens of questions spinning in her head but she only said one thing. 

“Stay with him.”

Magnus’ gaze softened. “I will. Don't worry, princess.” 

Satisfied with his answer, Ami retreated to her own room, leaving Magnus alone with Alec, who occasionally whimpered and tossed in his sleep. 

Earlier in the day Magnus was struck by Alec's concern for him, but the thing is, he couldn't remember a time he took care of someone like this as well. Sure he helped hurt civilians during missions and his injured colleagues. But would he do all of this for anyone just from the goodness of his heart? Would he still be worried sick if they weren't the only ones on a mission years in the future? 

The answer came to him more easily than he expected, and it was terrifying.  
______

The next morning, Alec blinked his eyes open only to close them back against the rays of sun shining freely into the room as the blinds weren't closed. He turned his head away from the window and stretched his aching hand that bumped into something or rather _someone_ and his eyes snapped open. 

Magnus was lying on his side facing Alec, without a pillow or a blanket, still wearing yesterday's clothes. He didn't look relaxed or peaceful, his brows pinched, lips pressed together. He looked troubled even in his sleep. 

A simple deep breath threw Alec in to a sudden bout of coughing as his throat was drier than the desert, reminding him of last night’s events.

Magnus jolted awake at the sound, instantly reaching for a glass of water standing on his nightstand and giving it to Alec. 

“How are you feeling?” he heard his tentative voice ask once he finished drinking.

“Still a bit weak but it'll pass in a couple of hours.”

He raised his eyes to look at Magnus, who was sitting upright on the bed playing with his fingers, eyes averted. Alec knew that look. Magnus felt guilty. 

“Magnus, it's not-”

“Don't, Alexander. You told me it was risky to go out and I didn't listen.” 

“You couldn't have known something like this would happen,” Alec tried to reason. 

“I should've known better than that. I’m sorry.” He turned his look to Alec, sincerity and regret evident in his eyes. He looked so earnest that Alec struggled to suppress the desire to reach out and cover his fumbling hands with his own. 

“I don't blame you,” Alec assured him. He wasn't sure Magnus believed him, though. 

After a long minute of tense silence Alec's stomach rumbled. “I better eat something soon or I’ll go feral, I swear,” he said, changing the topic while moving to get up from the bed.

“I’ll cook breakfast,” Magnus was quick to suggest. Alec saw right through it. 

“I’ll do it. You look like you haven't slept properly. I’ll call you when it's ready.” 

The other man looked hesitant before deciding to give in but instead of lying back down he stood up.

“Don't think I’ll be able to fall asleep now. I’d rather hop into the bath and finally get out of these clothes.”  
______

Twenty minutes later both men were sitting at the kitchen island eating a freshly made omelette. Ami had apparently left for school. 

The silence was palpable, only the sounds of forks scrubbing against the plates could be heard. 

Magnus was sitting in front of Alec, lost in his thoughts of what could've happened if he were just a few minutes late before the other man broke the silence. 

“Magnus?” 

“Hm?”

“Thank you,” he said in a low voice, eyes meeting Magnus’. “For saving me and taking care of me.”

A simple “always” almost left Magnus’ mouth without his permission. The thought startled him. _Where did this come from?_

Always was a strong word, it sounded like a promise. A promise of something permanent, sustainable. Something that a life of a secret agent lacked. 

It was always new places, new people, new identities. They couldn't afford to get attached, getting used to anything other than the feeling of a weapon in their hands and the sound of their own blood rushing with adrenaline was dangerous. Attachments would let to lack in judgement when the time came, and the time always came. Everything in their lives was meant to be disposable, replaceable. Nothing was meant to be constant. 

Alec's voice snapped him out of it. “Magnus?”

Magnus sent him a small smile. “Yeah, of course, Alexander.”

_Always._  
______

The next hours of the day were spent in tranquil silence. Alec was slumped over the blueprints he knew like the back of his hand for the lack of better things to do while Magnus was resting in the other corner of the huge couch, nose buried in one of the old books he found while rummaging through the shelves and drawers. Zeus found his place in their company as well, curled up in Magnus’ lap, emitting soft barely audible purring sounds as Magnus’ fingers stroked his shiny fur gently. 

Seeing as Magnus was too engulfed in reading, Alec let his eyes wander to his partners’ hands. Magnus’ skin looked striking against the white fur, his nails that he apparently dyed navy blue for last night's impromptu outing were now chipped at the edges, only one silver band sitting on the ring finger of his right hand. 

_The one he used as a mock wedding ring to save Alec from unsolicited flirting_ , he remembered, a shiver ran through him at the thought. 

Magnus’ elegant hands proceeded their movements through the soft fur, occasionally curling in it or twirling it absentmindedly.

Alec couldn't help but wonder how someone so deadly could have such a gentle touch. The same hands that could wield any weapon, send you flying with a single punch or choke the truth out of you. The same hands that could be a deadly weapon on their own were now slowly caressing a tiny fragile creature with great tenderness. 

While Alec's hands were rough and calloused, Magnus’ were smooth and delicate, as if they didn't share the same occupation. 

Alec's eyes travelled up the man's form before his mind could start conjuring thoughts of what else those hands could do and how nice it would be to feel them against his own skin, learning all the ways they could drive him mad. 

Only when his eyes reached the other agent’s face did Alec notice the crease between Magnus’ eyebrows. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't heard Magnus turn the page even once in the last ten minutes or so, but also it could be his own only partial presence in reality. 

He watched Magnus for five more minutes but the pages stayed unturned and his gaze stayed unmoving from a single point in the book. Alec couldn't tell if Magnus was deliberately pretending to read or if he himself hadn't noticed as his mind wandered somewhere far away from the story. 

“Penny for your thoughts?”

There was no reaction. 

Alec unfurled his long limbs and reached out to poke Magnus’ thigh with his foot, causing him to finally snap out of it with a small jerk. 

“Hm?”

“What’s got you all frowny?”

“Things just don't add up.”

So they were back on that topic again. Alec sighed and threw his head back against the couch. 

“No, listen. It couldn't have been a coincidence. They were trained and determined to take you. No one knows we're here and no one knows who we are so make it make sense.” 

The truth was, Alec had thought about it as well but he didn't have an answer. Who was behind the attempted kidnapping and what motives they had for it. 

The first guess was naturally, Sebastian. The thought was quickly dismissed as it didn't make any sense for the man to predict two random agents popping up from the past to disrupt his future plans. No one aside from Idris workers was supposed to know about the existence of Cerebro so no one was supposed to know they were agent Lightwood and agent Bane which makes the whole situation all the more confusing. Who would send their people after two random men? 

But also it was Alec they targeted specifically, not Magnus. Or maybe they had yet to move on to Magnus. Or-

Alec's train of thought was cut short by the shrill of the phone ringing somewhere in the apartment. It was Alec's burner phone. The one of the only two people who had that number was currently sitting in front of him, mirroring his confused expression. That left only one person, Ami, they exchanged numbers in case of emergency situations.

Something churned in his gut as he jumped from the couch and strode to find the phone. 

“What's wrong?” he said as soon as he accepted the call, walking back into the living room where Magnus’ hands stilled in the cat’s fur and his whole body looked more tense than a minute ago. 

“Put her on speaker,” Magnus promoted with urgency.

“Can you come pick me up?” came Ami’s hushed voice. “There're two men outside the school. I saw them through the window during class, they look suspicious. I was waiting for them to leave but the school is almost empty now and they don't look like they're going to leave any time soon.” 

“A car?” 

“Yes, they're leaning against it. Not too far from the main entrance.” 

“Don't get me wrong, it works in our favor but could they be any more obvious?” Magnus said. “How amateur are they?”

“They clearly underestimate me,” Ami huffed from the other end of the line. “Probably think I’m some stupid child.”

“Good, let them think that. Now tell Magnus the address of your school and describe the car and the men,” Alec said before leaving to get the car keys he saw in the drawer in the main bedroom when he allowed himself to go through it that first night they stayed there. 

“How long did you say they've been there already?” Magnus was saying when Alec came back, already pulling his jacket on. 

“Long enough to spread a blanket and throw a picnic on the lawn in front of the main entrance,” came Ami’s snarky reply. 

“Leave the school when you see us behind them. We'll know for sure if you're their target if they get going when they see you. When you see us move for them, run back into the school,” Alec instructed.  
“We'll be there soon, hang on,” he added, taking the phone from Magnus and tossing him the keys instead.

A few minutes later Magnus was speeding through the busy New York streets as fast as possible with Alec in the passenger seat of the black Mercedes. 

While Magnus could distract himself with driving, Alec's raging thoughts wouldn't give him a rest.

_Who was after them?_

_What did they need from Ami?_

_Were they trying to get to Magnus and him through her?_

He was so lost in his thoughts he hadn't noticed Magnus slow down a block away from their destination, trying to make as less noise as possible with a car like this in order not to draw much attention.

The school wasn't that far and about ten minutes later they parked on the other side of the road. They made their way closer to be in clear view of anyone watching them from the school windows but not close enough for two men to notice them.

Alec wasn't sure if Ami could see them clearly but they didn't have to wait long as the heavy main entrance door opened and the girl started on her way towards them. 

Unsurprisingly, the men tensed, their postures straightening, ready to attack. They moved when Ami was halfway there. Magnus and Alec weren't far behind. The moment the men spun around feeling their presence at their backs the agents pounced.

Alec managed to dodge an elbow to the face with practiced ease, his own fist charging at the man’s face. The opponent stumbled backwards but he wasn't fast enough as the agent’s fist connected with his nose and Alec was satisfied to hear the bones crack. 

The punch was hard and close enough to the man’s eyes for him to see nothing but blinding darkness for a brief moment. Using the distraction, Alec grabbed the guy by the back of his neck and yanked him down, introducing his already bleeding face with his knee. 

From the corner of his eye he noticed Magnus lodging his elbow into the other man’s diaphragm before delivering a kidney punch so strong Alec could almost feel it reverberate in his own back. He knows how bad those hurt from the first-hand experience. 

His own opponent happened to be tougher than Alec pegged him for. The realization came to him as he received a kick to the shins that sent him toppling over. He tumbled down, his body rigid, slamming himself into the man's body. 

The man growled and the next thing Alec knew there were muscled arms keeping him in a headlock as the goon rolled them to the side, locking Alec's left arm under both their bodies, making him hiss in pain. 

Somewhere at the back of his mind he registered a sound of a rusty car door being swung open and shut in between the sounds of another fight a few feet away and the sound of the man’s pants in his ear. 

From his place on the dirty ground Alec could see black leather boots striding closer to his face and hear the third man growl, “Are you two really that useless you can't take on two nannies? Let's get it over with and get the girl,” before he sprang into action, knowing he was risking getting his hand dislodged. 

He blindly elbowed the man somewhere between his groin and his stomach but it seemed to do the trick as he felt the hold on his neck loosen but before he could scramble to his feet a hand fisted his jacket and yanked him up. He was face to face with their new party and the first thing his mind told him to do was to send a kick at the lying man’s stomach just to be on the safe side. He really didn't want to deal with the both of them at once now so it was better to make sure at least one of them stayed down.

The moment Alec staggered backwards, blocking the new opponent’s kick to his head, he felt an irrational urge to send a glance to where Magnus was still busy with his own fight. Although, by the lack of sounds of a struggle it looked more like Magnus was at the point of choking the answers out of the man.

Whoever sent their people after them must have upgraded their minions as the men they were faced with now were noticeably tougher and more professional than the ones who attempted to kidnap Alec yesterday.

Alec forgot all about that need to check on his partner as he felt a hand grab his shin and tug, sending him to the ground for the second time in the last few minutes. He saw the other man's leg drawing backwards, undoubtedly swinging for a kick. Alec braced himself for the impact but the hit never came.

The third man yelped and stumbled back, hands going to his neck, and there on his back was Ami, seemingly materializing out of nowhere, sliding her arms around the enemy’s neck and squeezing. 

The lying man was clearly as stunned as Alec was as he haltered in his movements, almost going completely limp next to him. Though, he recovered just as quickly, flipping around to catch Alec in another lock, now between his massive thighs.

Alec saw the other man sway from side to side before he managed to throw the girl off him. Ami’s trained athletic shape allowed her to land on her hands and feet, in something akin to a crouch, without more than a few nasty scratches on her palms. 

Something that felt too much like some kind of instinct told Alec to launch to his feet and tackle the man before he could get any closer to her but the other man’s hold on him tightened, immobilizing him, his already hurt hand sending pangs of pain from under him once again. 

Future really wasn't easy on Alec.

He was slowly dragging his hand from under his own heavy form as he watched Ami take a fighting stance and slip two small shiny knives out of her armbands. That looked extremely badass but also _holy shit, what the fuck?_

He couldn't see the man’s face but he was sure it was split in a snarky smirk as he produced his own blade and flipped it open and glistening. 

Alec watched them take swing after swing at each other with bated breath, hoping that Magnus wasn't the source of a cracking sound coming not that far from behind him. 

By the time the man had one of Ami’s knives flying god knows where, Alec’s hand was halfway where he wanted it to be, which wasn't smashed under his body _and_ the weight of the tough guy’s leg.

“Ami, stay back! We’ve got this!” he heard Magnus shout, the same urgency Alec was feeling seeping into his voice. 

Ami didn't even hesitate before charging at the man.

Just a bit more and Alec's hand would be free so he could pull himself up and swing at his attacker’s face.

The next moments were a blur, multiple things happened at the same side. The man caught Ami’s hand mid movement, twisting it to grab her second knife before releasing, sending her stumbling backwards. From behind him Magnus spun on his left foot, the right coming up and out, catching his opponent squarely in the jaw, this time successfully knocking him out before he sprinted to the girl’s side just as the man prepared to attack. 

As if in slow motion Alec watched Magnus shield Ami from the onslaught with his own body, one knife catching the side of his neck. Before Magnus could retaliate, the second knife was jabbed into his chest. 

He heard Ami gasp. Alec's stomach lurched.

The man sent a punch at Magnus’ solar plexus, knocking the breath out of him before pushing him away. Magnus hit the ground with a dull thud.

Before Alec could realize what had just happened a furious growl cut through the air and Ami was tackling the guy to the ground with all her might.

Next thing he knew, Alec was yanking his hand free, grabbing the man’s legs and pushing up to charge at his already damaged beyond repair nose. The man cried out in pain and his eyes watered. Alec used the moment to elbow him in the temple not once but twice before the struggling man finally gave up and gave in to the strong pull of unconsciousness. 

Alec was back on his feet before he knew it, stumbling to where an enraged Ami was straddling the third man’s chest, one hand clawing at his eyes with abandon while the other one was squeezing his throat. 

He grabbed the girl by the shoulders to get her off the man only to clutch at his shirt, draw him up from the ground enough to deliver one final blow to his face that sent him back to the ground, limp and unmoving. 

Alec repressed the urge to give the guy some bonus kicks in favor to look at where Magnus lay fighting for breath on the ground. Ami’s eyes were already fixed there. She didn't approach him though, scared of what she might see.

Quickly closing the distance, Alec crouched next to Magnus’ sprawled form, the small knife still sticking out of his chest. His partner must have hit his head as well as his eyes were unfocused and all he could do was groan quietly. 

Alec cleared his throat to even out his voice. “Magnus?”

“I can't breathe,” Magnus wheezed.

“What can I do?”

“Get off my stomach, you asshole.” 

“Shit, sorry.” He drew himself back on his hunches, removing his knee from where it was unknowingly to him pressing down on Magnus’ stomach. 

Magnus took a deep breath and his body seemingly eased a little. He reached out for the knife handle and yanked it out of his chest, throwing it clattering to the side. Alec wasn't surprised to find it wasn't covered in blood as he previously noticed no blood soaking Magnus’ clothes. He still looked on the verge of fainting, though.

“Magnus? Say something?” 

Magnus gulped and took a couple of deep breaths to even out his labored breathing. “How does my hair look?” he croaked out. 

Alec let out a breath of relief, punching Magnus in the shoulder playfully. 

“Ouch.”

“Sorry, sorry,” he whispered, proceeding to stroke the place he punched as if it would soothe the pain. 

“Do you think you can stand?” 

“No promises.”

“Okay, come on.” Alec took one of Magnus’ hands in his own, his other hand going behind Magnus as he pulled him up into a sitting position first. 

Magnus reached inside the inner pocket of his jacket to pull out his own knife that now had fractured in the middle of its wooden handle. He took one look at it, spun it around in his hand and put it back inside. 

“Okay?”

Magnus looked up and gave him an affirmative nod. “Okay.”  
______

Looking out the window from the passenger seat of the Mercedes, Magnus felt hollow. He'd been this close to death too many times to feel the aftershocks. 

The feelings that would seep into him before a mission is one thing, what he felt afterwards was another story entirely. 

There was no explanation for the transition from the kaleidoscope of feelings to numbing apathy but he wasn't always like that. 

The first time it happened his blood rushed with adrenaline, his body shook with tremors and his eyes prickled with tears of relief. He leaned his back against the nearest wall, threw his head back and breathed. He breathed until he felt his throat close up, forming a lump, and then a throaty laugh broke out of him, bouncing against the walls. And he laughed until it turned watery and he started to sob.

The third time he stayed lying on the ground just listening to the sound of his own heart beating, just breathing in the cold night air, feeling it burn his lungs as he breathed deeper and deeper each time. He raised his hand to his neck just to feel a strong beat or a rapid pulse reverberating in his fingertips. He stayed like this for a few minutes before getting on his feet and making his way back to the headquarters. 

The fifth time he was in Idris’ gym before he knew it, punching and pushing and pulling until all his muscles ached, body sore and throbbing from being pushed to its limit. 

When the eighth time happened he found himself stumbling into the nearest club, letting the shots he was throwing back one after another burn his throat and letting inebriated strangers touch his skin just to remind himself he was still _alive._

On the tenth time he woke up in the hospital bed, IV sticking from both of his arms. Concussion and blood loss, they said. He stared at the white ceiling, listening to the steady beeping sounds of a heart monitor, letting it lull him back into peaceful sleep. 

Now what came instead since a few years ago was an empty, almost lethargic feeling. Another near-death experience just another change of number in his overall score. He didn't feel elated, he didn't feel scared, he didn't _feel._

So he stared out the window, dried blood on the side of his throat an itchy mess that would leave another scar, the only reminder of another fight among thousands. 

The car was dead silent. Alec was driving them back to the apartment complex, his bad arm resting on his lap unmoving. In the backseat Ami was inspecting her scratched palms with a faraway look on her young face. 

On the next crossroad, a car swiveled in front of them and Alec had to tug the wheel to the right and hit the brakes to avoid a collision. The car skidded and came to an abrupt halt with a screech, causing them all to be yanked forward.

“Shit,” Ami muttered as her elbow hit a control console in the back and the radio boomed to life. 

Funny how after everything they still got into common life-threatening situations, as if they were normal people, as if dying in a car crash wasn't a ridiculous way to go for people who fooled death on a daily basis, having it as their regular occupation. 

Among all other things they had faced this seemed to be such a trivial trifle, that they hadn't even flinched as another driver cursed them to hell and back from his car. 

Alec got the car moving again and a song came on, the one Magnus recognized as a song from their time.

_I was born in a thunderstorm_  
I grew up overnight  
I played alone  
I played on my own  
I survived 

The three of them met each other's eyes in the rearview mirror, snorting at the irony of it. 

No one moved to turn the radio off and as Ami started singing along at the top of her lungs to the lyrics of the song, making Alec shake his head with fond exasperation, Magnus finally felt glad to be alive again. 

_I'm still breathing, I'm still breathing_  
I'm still breathing, I'm still breathing  
I'm alive  
I'm alive  
I'm alive  
I'm alive  
______

Upon entering the apartment Ami went straight for the first aid kit while Alec struggled to shrug his jacket off until Magnus sighed and tugged it off him.

“Thanks.”

“No need to thank me. Just saved myself from that pitiful sight, that's all.” 

Alec rolled his eyes at him before throwing the car keys into the empty ceramic bowl, that clearly wasn't used for its purpose until now, wincing at the pain in his arm. 

“How bad is it?” Magnus asked, leading the way into the living room.

“Not broken. Will be fine in a few days,” Alec replied from right behind him. “How's your head?”

“Still on my shoulders, thank you very much,” Magnus deadpanned, making Alec throw him that unamused glare of his. 

It was Magnus’ turn to roll his eyes. “It's fine, really. Nothing I’ve never felt before.” 

Ami entered the room with a small white box, motioning for them to sit on the couch as she perched herself on the glass coffee table in front of them. She flipped the box open on the table and passed Alec a bottle of peroxide and a bunch of cotton balls so Magnus and he could clean their hands before proceeding to silently disinfect her own bloody palms.

She left for the bathroom once she was finished, leaving the two agents alone.

Alec turned to look at Magnus, eyes catching a dark red line splitting the skin on his neck.

“Take your shirt off.”

Magnus quirked his eyebrow at him. “Alexander,” he said, voice smooth as silk. “At least ask me to dinner first.” 

Alec’s glare returned full force, but a glimpse of panic hidden behind it almost made Magnus snicker.

“I’m gonna clean your wound and the blood trickling down your collar,” he stated, voice not betraying any emotion.

“If you wanted to play doctor, you should've just said so,” Magnus purred, slowly tugging his shirt up.

The tips of Alec's ears became red in color. “Shut up.”

“Okay, okay, Jesus,” Magnus grumbled as he threw the piece of clothing on the floor and sat with his back to Alec so he could see the wound properly. 

He rolled his shoulders to unfurl the tension that hadn’t left his body for the last few days. He was pretty sure he heard Alec gulp, watching his muscles ripple before clearing his throat and getting up from the couch. 

“Um, I’m just gonna go get a cloth,” he said awkwardly, and disappeared into the bathroom.

Magnus didn't comment about being able to do it himself. 

Alec came back with a wet cloth a minute later, looking more composed than before. Magnus admired his ability to put on various masks suitable for a situation even though he himself mastered the art of pretense a long time ago. 

Magnus braced himself for a sting of water in his still fresh wound but instead Alec moved to crouch in front of him and tentatively reached his hand out to Magnus’ collarbone to wipe the dried blood. He moved to his shoulder and then followed the scarlet path down to where it ended almost at Magnus’ navel. 

Discarding the bloody cloth on the floor, somewhere close to where Magnus’ stained shirt laid, he finally sat back on the couch and got down to work. 

The first swap of a cotton wool patch soaked in antiseptic across his wound made Magnus flinch slightly, his skin covered in goosebumps. Or maybe it was Alec's hot breath grazing the back of his neck. Alec was sitting so close, _too close._

The silence in the room was charged, the only sounds audible were their uneven breathing. In this silence Magnus had no choice but to be hypersensitive to Alec's every breath against his skin, to the man sitting so close they would be touching if one of them moved as much as an inch closer.

Magnus had this procedure done to him more times than he could count so he barely felt the prickle of the needle as his skin was sewn back together but he was hyper-aware of Alec's warm touch on his skin. 

All those years and he couldn't remember the last time anyone touched him in such a non-sexual intimate way, couldn't remember ever being touched so gently, tenderly. 

Alec finished his work with a pleased hum, lightly tracing his fingertip along the newly fixed patch of skin, probably absentmindedly. It sent yet another shiver down Magnus’ spine and he mentally cursed his traitorous body, hoping the other man stayed oblivious to his involuntary reaction. 

And he probably was, judging by his casual “all done” and a light pat on Magnus’ shoulder, as if he hadn't already driven him crazy enough with his touch, _damn him._

“Thank you, Alexander,” Magnus found his voice.

“Of course,” the other sent him a small but genuine smile. “We’re partners.”

Magnus’ breath caught for a second and he had to remind himself Alec only meant _job_ partners, nothing more, nothing less. 

_Well, damn his mind, too._

“I could really use a hot bath right about now,” Alec piped up. 

“Go ahead, I might help Ami cook something.”

Alec sent him an unsure look before picking up the discarded dirty pieces of cloth, probably to throw them in the laundry, slowly retreating to the bathroom, tiredness seeping into his stance.

After putting on a fresh t-shirt Magnus felt his head spin, making him sit down. That was where Ami found him, perched on the edge of the bed in the main bedroom.

She came closer to him wordlessly, just standing there, staring at him. Hesitantly, she brought her hand to Magnus’ neck and traced the stitches that inevitably would form a scar in a short time, her look turning self-reproachful. 

Magnus’ heart sank.

“Hey,” he said softly, causing her to tear her eyes away from his neck to look back at him. “It wasn't your fault.”

“But it was.” 

Magnus couldn't stand the guilt coloring her eyes.

“It was my knife he cut you with.” Ami’s lip trembled slightly. 

“It doesn't matter, I don't blame you.” 

“You should.”

“Ami-”

“If I just listened to what I was told instead of doing it my way… I should've just listened to Alec.”

Magnus chuckled. “That makes two of us. Guess you got it from me, huh?”

“Dad says I get all my idiotic tendencies from you.”

Magnus gasped theatrically. “He does _not_!”

Ami let out a soft laugh. Magnus was glad to see that teasing smile back on her face. 

They would be okay.  
______

While Magnus and Ami were busy cooking what Alec hoped would be better than Magnus’ burnt toast, he managed to soak his body in the hot bath until all his muscles loosened. 

He thought about what Izzy and Jace were doing back in their time, did a test drive for various colorful substances their older versions kept in the bathroom, thought about what Zeus was doing, read the sticker on one of the bottles of said substance, thought about everything that wasn't the latest events, smelled all Magnus’ shampoos and washed his hair twice with the one he liked the most. By the time his skin got all pruny and his whole body felt like jelly, the smell of a freshly cooked meal seeped through the crack in the door jam. 

Leaving the bathroom Alec was glad to notice it didn't smell like something burning. 

“Hey! I was supervising the process so don't worry, it's safe to eat,” Ami said as soon as she saw him enter the kitchen while Magnus was serving some mouthwatering rice dish on their plates. 

“Thank god,” Alec chuckled. 

Magnus huffed. “Keep making fun of my cooking, you two, and you'll be left to starve, I swear.” 

Ami pretended to zip her mouth shut and throw away the key, making Magnus roll his eyes. 

They ate in silence for about three minutes before Magnus and Ami started discussing a book they both had apparently read, or rather the one Magnus started reading here, and when their plates were emptied they were still in the middle of a heated argument about which character was a better player of some made-up sports game. 

Alec let his mind drift off to the one topic he was so determined to avoid today. He could still see himself being dragged away from the bustling night club, feel the strangers’ hands keeping a strong hold on him, then Magnus’ gentle touches and worried voice.

Then it threw to today, Ami being roughly thrown off the giant man’s back and Magnus getting stabbed in the chest, falling to the ground like a deadweight, struggling to breathe. Ami trying to rip the man’s throat out and Magnus laying still a few meters away. 

_What do those people want from them?_

_How can they know who they are?_

_Is everything not as they think it is?_

Alec's mind kept spiraling, playing the last events over and over like a broken record. 

Him laying on the ground, crushing his own arm under his weight. Heavy boots of the third attacker getting closer and closer still to his face. 

Then, the man’s words rang in his head.

_“Are you two really that useless you can't take on two nannies? Let's get it over with and get the girl.”_

Suddenly all the pieces slotted together. Him and Magnus, they weren't the target, they were just an obstacle in the way of the real target. Whoever they were, they weren't trying to get to them. They were trying to get _Ami._

Alec snapped out of it with a newfound urgency. “They said nannies,” he threw into the raging squabble. 

The voices fell silent and two heads turned in his direction.

“Huh?”

“He said nannies,” Alec repeated, voice a bit louder now.

Magnus and Ami exchanged confused glances, their faces wearing bewildered expressions. They looked at him as if he completely lost it.

Alec thought he might as well _have_ lost it at this point. 

“Uh...I thought I was the one who hit my head?” Magnus said hesitantly.

Alec ignored the quip. “That's what one of the jerks called us. They must think we're Ami’s bodyguards or babysitters or something. They don't know who we are, they're not after us.” 

Whatever good-ish mood Magnus and Ami had built up went out the window right that instant. 

“You don't think-?” Magnus started, ignoring how Ami visibly bristled at the word “babysitting” directed at her.

“That they were only trying to eliminate us to get to her? Yes.”

Magnus clenched his jaw. 

“I’ll call the school,” he claimed after a minute of charged silence. 

Alec seemed to be on the same wavelength as he nodded his agreement. 

“Am I to stay at home now?” Ami asked, the tone of her voice indicating that she already knew the answer. 

“We can't risk it,” Alec confirmed. 

“They must be Sebastian’s men. What do they want me for?” 

It must be Sebastian’s doing, this much made sense now that they knew their true identities were still hidden and they weren't the target, there was no denying it now. 

Alec shook his head. “It won't matter once we stop Sebastian. We just have to keep you safe till then.”

“It has something to do with their oh so grandiose plan, doesn’t it?” Ami kept insisting.

“Ami-”

“Are they trying to get to my parents through me? Do they want to manipulate them into surrendering?” 

“We won't let them take you,” Alec tried to reassure the distressed girl. 

Ami looked like she was about to argue some more when all the fight left her, her shoulders sagging in defeat. “This is all too much,” she muttered, rubbing her temples in circular motions.

Magnus chose that moment to come back into the kitchen to let them know he had informed the school of Ami’s absence for the next week or so. 

Seeing the girl’s obvious unease, Magnus squeezed her shoulder in attempt of comfort. “Do you trust us?”

“How can I not?” 

“Then trust us to do everything in our power to make things right. Okay?”

They knew it wasn't that simple, nothing was ever that simple, but what would happen to them if they dared to lose hope? 

“If anyone can do it, it's you two,” she confirmed, a tiny smile playing on her lips. 

“Okay, that's enough negativity for today,” Alec piped up, aiming for cheerfulness. “I’m gonna make coffee and we're gonna share that long-forgotten tub of pear ice cream I inadvertently came across in the freezer.” 

He rose from his seat and the moment his feet touched the floor there was a loud yowl that made Alec jump back, his eyes darting to Zeus who was currently licking his assaulted tail. 

He hadn't even fully processed what happened when Magnus rushed to the cat to scoop him in his hands and started cooing at him as if he were a crying baby. 

“Oh, my poor dear! That big scary man hurt you,” he said fondly, supporting the cat’s tiny body with one hand, holding him against his chest, while his other hand proceeded to stroke his ruffled fur.

The sight caught Alec off guard and he found himself staring. Magnus’ facial expression morphed into one of care and softness, his voice carried a soothing tone as he coddled the cat. So tender and all touchy-feely, so unlike the agent Bane everyone was used to. 

From the corner of his eye he saw Ami hunch over the island almost to the point of fully lying on top of it as she peered into his eyes intently, her own eyes slightly narrowed.

Alec arched his brow at her. “What are you doing?”

“Checking if you already have those heart eyes you always have when you see him with a pet _or_ a baby,” she explained matter-of-factly. 

“I don’t-”

“Alexander, come apologize,” Magnus prompted, oblivious or deliberately ignoring the bold statement.

A sigh left Alec's mouth as he moved closer and scratched the offended cat behind an ear, “Sorry, buddy.” 

Zeus’ face was tucked in Magnus’ neck and Alec's fingers would occasionally graze his partner’s warm skin as he scratched the cat's neck. Magnus’ hand kept petting the furball’s back and the cat started kneading Magnus’ shirt where his paws were on the man's shoulder as he was showered with affection. 

While Magnus was preoccupied with gazing at the purring creature on his shoulder, Alec let his eyes move up to the other’s face, noting the open unguarded expression. 

“And there they are,” Ami’s sing-song voice brought him back. 

Alec sent her a stern look but the girl didn't cower, facing Alec's glowering with a wry smile he came to associate with her instead. 

“I thought you said something about the ice cream?” Magnus perked up. 

“Right, the ice cream.” Alec threw Ami one last glare before moving for the freezer. 

And as they sat in the kitchen chattering about books and food, and sharing a tub of Magnus’ favorite ice cream, they allowed themselves to pretend they were just ordinary people and everything was okay, even if just for a few hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So no cliffhanger this time? You're welcome!
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it as much as you can enjoy me putting them through all sorts of pain :)
> 
> The next chapter will be less action and more feelings and backgrounds so we'll get to know more about Magnus' and Alec's childhoods and their parents, and some more characters make an appearance of a sort.
> 
> Please leave your thoughts, reactions and theories in the comments and on twitter! Also, share your favorite lines and moments, I'm looking forward to reading it all!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're alike you and I  
> Two blue hearts locked in our wrong minds  
> So can we make the most out of no time?  
> Can you hold me?  
> Can you make me leave my demons and my broken pieces behind?  
> -Wild by Troye Sivan ft. Alessia Cara

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! 
> 
> Today's chapter marks the middle of this fic as I'm planning about 12 chapters in general (at least that's the current plan but no promises yet cause I'm chaotic)! It finishes off the first phase where they get somehow accustomed to each other and the life they were faced with in the future and sets off the phase of missions, shocking revelations and of course more danger and action! It gets emotional at some point in this chapter, so prepare your tissues. 
> 
> As usual, thanks to [Meisha](https://twitter.com/wesperkanej) for staying with me through this and helping me make it better <3
> 
> Possible triggers in this chapter are drinking and mentions of death, losing parents, nothing detailed or explicit though.
> 
> Enjoy this ride and don't forget to use #OTEONTfic if you live-tweet it! The tag is acting up sometimes so feel free to tag me on twitter (@alightbane) :)

Ami was bored. 

She was locked inside the apartment with no opportunity to go anywhere, even with both Alec and Magnus accompanying her. She had already finished her homework, after that, she tried reading, watching movies, even drawings that she hadn't touched in years, nothing could get her mind off two things: she was literally being hunted and her parents hadn't given any signs of life in a while.

Both Alec and Magnus were reading in the living room for a lack of better things to do. Magnus was visibly enjoying himself, his facial expression changing with every second page. Alec’s reading looked forced rather than enjoying it.

Ami watched him read and reread the same spread over and over again, clearly lacking concentration. His eyes would dart to Magnus now and then to check if he was still as engrossed in his own book, his mouth forming a thin line at having it confirmed. 

Therefore it wasn't hard to talk the bored man into going down to the gym to train. Ami could tell Alec was buzzing, a need to get moving and let out some of his nerves the only way he knew how physical activity. It wasn't the only way for Ami. She wasn't trained to push herself until physical pain overbore her restless mind, yet she found training the best way to let go and vent her pent up emotions. It was the way she grew to love and enjoy without being forced into it. 

She was putting her hair into a bun when her phone chirped with a new message. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the contact name, “Dad <3”. 

Hurrying to open the message she let her eyes run over the short text, again, and again, and again.

_Hey, kid  
Sorry for going MIA. The mission didn't go exactly as planned but we’re both okay. Have to stay here for an unknown amount of time, though. Wish we could call but this short text is already risky enough. We miss you and we'll call you as soon as we can. Behave yourself.  
Love you _

Now the message was the only thing on her mind, she couldn't help but think it wasn't all that simple. Brief and to the point, exactly in Alec’s style. Nothing was out of ordinary but the feeling of something unsaid wouldn't leave Ami and she knew she had to try the only thing that might give her answers.

Closing the message, she hit call on one of the numbers she had on speed dial and waited. 

After three long rings, there was a voice on the other end of the line. “Hi, bug, what's up?”

“Hey, uncle Simon.” Ami’s voice was as serious as the topic she was about to breach.

“Uh oh, I don't like that tone,” Simon said, already sounding suspicious. 

“I got a message from Dad,” she said, never being the one to beat around the bush. 

There was silence on the other end that lasted for almost a minute before Simon’s strained voice came back. “Any news?” 

“Why didn't you tell me?” 

“Tell you what exactly?”

“You know what.”

He really didn't.

Simon sighed. “Ami, I don't understand. Izzy told you all the information we have, which isn't much but that's all we got now.” He suddenly sounded tired and Ami felt a pang of guilt for this trick, she wasn't the only one worried after all. 

“So there's really nothing else to this?”

“No, I swear. What did the message say?” 

She didn't mean to get Simon agitated but she could tell he was already alarmed. 

“Nothing, the same things you've already told me,” she admitted, her voice losing all the pretend bitterness it had before.

She could basically feel Simon frowning from another part of the city.

“Wha-? I don't- Wait.” 

She could also hear the cogs turning in his head as the realization of what she had just done struck him.

“Aminah,” he berated.

“I had to know if you were hiding something from me. Can't blame me.” 

Ami was sure Simon would be glaring at her right now if she could see him. He was probably glaring at some random object in the room instead.

The man's silence was speaking for itself. She knew her logic couldn't be argued, they would hide things from Ami “for her own good”, trying to spare her feelings, and he knew it too.

“I’m not sorry,” she said when Simon sighed into the phone.

Yes, she used the fact that Simon was the only one who was most likely to fall for her trap and start blabbering as soon as he figured out that Ami knew they were hiding something from her. Except there was nothing to hide this time. 

“I know,” he muttered, voice holding something akin to fondness even after she played him less than a minute ago. “You wouldn't be yourself if you were.”

Nothing came out of this talk and she didn't know what to say. So many questions and no one to answer them. 

All she could do was chuckle halfheartedly at Simon’s comment. 

He must have felt how disingenuously it sounded as his next words came out even softer than before. “I’m sorry, bug. We really know nothing else. But hey, your dads are the strongest people I know, they will come out of this just fine.” 

Ami was thankful for the attempt at comfort and reassurance but couldn't bring herself to say anything more than a simple “yeah” under her breath. 

“All we can do now is wait. Think about the positive side of things, if Alec could text you, it means they aren't in any danger at the time.” 

Despite his clear intention, Simon sounded like he didn't exactly believe his own words. With the profession they had, they were always in danger, that came without saying. 

“Hey, you want me to come to pick you up and stay at ours tonight? We could watch movies or play video games?” 

Well, _now_ she felt bad. She was already coming up with a quick lie, reminded of the unfortunate fact that she was the one hiding things from them.

“I appreciate the offer but I’m already staying at a friend's place tonight,” she lied, hoping the vague excuse didn't give her away. “But I’d love to some other time, we haven't done this in a while,” she added to soften the blatant rejection.

“A sleepover, huh? Thought you hated those. Any adults to keep an eye on you?” 

Ami rolled her eyes so hard she got scared they were going to get stuck looking at the inside of her own head for the rest of her life. 

“I’m fourteen, Simon, I’m not a child,” she retorted. “Besides, you know I can take care of myself if the need arises. Remember how I beat your ass?” she added, smug. 

“That's because I’m an IT specialist, not a field agent,” he justified himself, sounding completely affronted. “Anyone could beat my ass.”

Ami snorted in agreement to the reluctant admission. “Whatever.”

“So?” Simon was still demanding an answer, uncharacteristically stubborn. Maybe Izzy was rubbing off on him after all those years. 

“Her dads will pick us up from school and stay in another room. That's more supervision that we could possibly need so chill.” 

“Alright,” he finally relented. “I’ll trust them with you. Maybe I should call them, though? You know, just to know who I’m actually trusting with you.”

“It's literally just one night, Simon, chill out, I beg you,” she pleaded over-exaggeratedly. “They're good people, they'll make sure I’m comfortable there,” she added softly.

“Okay, fine. Call me for anything. Or Izzy. Or Maia. Even Jace. Not if you can help it, though.”

_There it goes._

“Simon.”

“Right. Have fun. I’ll see you sometime soon?” 

The way his voice was genuinely hopeful made Ami feel bad about the whole predicament once again despite there being nothing else she could do. 

“Yeah, definitely,” she confirmed. 

Not long after they exchanged goodbyes, three tentative knocks came from behind the door and Alec's muffled voice brought her back to reality. 

“You ready?” 

“Uh, yeah, just give me a minute.” 

She heard Alec's steps retreating and took time to look at herself in the mirror, only truly needing a minute to compose herself. 

Letting out a heavy sigh, Ami reminded herself that her parents were capable of handling themselves, probably even better than their younger versions she was currently sharing living space with, and they were _good._

Taking a bottle of water from her desk, she left the room to come rescue Alec from his own undoubtedly raging mind, contemplating whether she should go easy on him this time.  
______

“I think that's enough,” Ami’s voice reverberated from the other side of the training room, where she was apparently done with her knife throwing. 

The punching bag swung back at Alec and he reached to stop it with both hands instead of landing another attack. His ragged breathing was loud in the big space, he leaned his forehead against the bag to catch his breath. 

Losing track of time in a battle against yourself was always Alec's thing. He could spend hours going around the training room, from a target to a treadmill to a punching bag and back to the target, oblivious to the world passing by and his own old wounds opening under the pressure of his blind determination.

If it weren't for the girl’s voice and the sting in his knuckles, he would still be lost in the process. 

He loved how physical exertion made him forget about all the issues and hated how it made him aware of every drop of sweat rolling down his body the moment he stopped. It gave him a semblance of control, over his own body and mind, and to stop meant to give it up again. 

Before his head could start spinning with thoughts he tried to chase away, Ami came up from behind and put a hand on his shoulder. 

“You wanna spar after a quick break?” 

Alec looked at his bandaged hands and a drib of blood seeping through the cloth. “Yeah, sure.”  
______

Twenty minutes later they were both sprawled on the mats in the center of the room, panting for breath, exhaustion seeping into their bones.

“Hey, uh...can I ask you something?” Ami asked, not having enough strength to hide the hesitation in her voice. 

Alec managed an affirmative sound, still lying on his back, gaze fixed on the white ceiling. 

“It's kinda boys related,” she mumbled, and _that_ definitely caught Alec's attention. 

His head rolled to the side to look at the girl but her eyes were running from one corner of the room to the other, never meeting Alec’s.

_Uncharacteristically nervous of her._

“You wanna ask me for dating advice?” 

By the way, Ami’s eyebrows twitched he could tell he sounded more incredulous than he was planning to. 

“Yeah, something like that. Why, is it weird?” 

“No, not weird,” Alec snorted. “Just not sure it's the best idea but go ahead.”

He’d never been in a serious relationship before or any relationship for that matter, all he had was a small number of one-time hookups he never bothered to remember the names of. But wasn't that how it worked in life? Single inexperienced people giving dating advice left and right? If others could, he would manage as well. 

He heard Ami take a deep breath and suddenly her whole demeanor changed from hesitant to firm before she started mumbling with a fond exasperation in her voice. 

“What do you do when he's just so infuriatingly handsome and always runs that smart mouth of his and irritates you with his wit and stupid puns to the point you don't know if you wanna kiss him or smash his head against the nearest door frame?”

Alec's eyes widened at that and he snorted loudly. “Wish I knew,” he murmured under his breath. Then after another beat, “Is this about that Jayden guy?”

“Yeah,” she admitted.

“I’m not the best at relationship advice but you know what they say, communication is the key. If you see him reciprocating your sympathy and it looks like you two are just dancing around each other, then talk to him about it. It might be scary and you might feel like throwing up at some point but in the end, it will be worth it. You two are still so young, your life won't end over a tiny rejection. Maybe it just means this is not the right time or simply not the right person, no matter how unpleasant it might sound right now.” 

Ami was now looking at him attentively, absorbing each word. 

“Or it might work out just the right way. You know, sometimes it's obvious when a person likes you, so obvious that even you can see it,” Alec chuckled. “In any case, give yourself a chance, talk to him. And if it all goes awry, you will still be fine and you won't be alone.” He turned his gaze back to the ceiling. “I believe some people are meant to be, just that simple. You just have to find the right person, or let them find you.”

“Or let the universe guide us to each other?” said Ami’s softened voice. 

And he replied, his tone no less soft, “Yeah, exactly.”

They lay in comfortable silence until Ami shuffled on his left and slowly rose to her feet. Alec hadn't yet found the strength to stand up, his legs still felt like cotton, as if they would give up and buckle under his weight if he tried. 

“Thanks,” the girl said with a delicate smile, looking down at him.

He heard her footsteps drifting away towards the corner of the room before she moved for the exit.

“Oh, and Alec,” she called from the doorway. 

He silently turned to look at her from his place on the floor.

“Maybe listen to your own advice,” Ami said softly before disappearing into the garage, leaving Alec alone to ponder on her words.  
______

Half an hour after Alec and Ami left him to his books, Magnus felt his legs grow numb from where they were folded under him and his joints cracked when he got up from the couch to stretch. 

He contemplated joining the two down in the training room but the thought of fighting sent a prickle of pain to his head and the idea was quickly dismissed. 

The only other option was the top-floor swimming pool, which should be mostly empty at this time on the weekday. So, swimming pool it was. 

The pool was indeed empty when Magnus arrived, clear water staying still and untouched. Magnus plopped down on the edge, dipping his legs into the warm water. He took in the smell of chlorine and dangled his legs a little, enjoying the quietude.

It wasn't often that he got to enjoy something as simple as this, a moment of tranquillity. Not taking it for granted he savoured each and every minute. 

Huge windows on the ceiling were letting through rays of the warm spring sun, making them reflect on the surface of the pool. Magnus found himself staring at the small rainbow drawn there by the light, his mind feeling the most stable it had in the last few days, not wandering places, just staying in the here and now. 

He did a few slow-paced laps across the lane, never diving in. Turning onto his back, he swam back and forth until his limbs buzzed pleasantly.

He went back to sitting on the ledge throwing his head back, he let himself feel the touch of sunlight on his face, warming him up until his cheeks colored a light shade of pink. 

To Magnus’ chagrin, the tranquillity hadn't lasted for long. The door swung open and from the corner of his eyes, he could see exactly who had come to join him and wasn't that an unpleasant sight. 

“Stan!” Aidan's cheery voice greeted him, breaking the calmness in two, throwing it to the ground and stepping on it with how loud it sounded in these four walls.

Setting his expression into one of neutral surprise hoping it would conceal his sheer annoyance, Magnus turned his eyes to the man, who was determinately making his way to him with that fake-ish grin splitting his face. 

“Aren't you an early swimmer?” Magnus asked him, raising back to his feet since having a bulky man towering over him wasn't exactly the most comfortable position.

Aidan just waved him off. “It's my day off today.”

Magnus watched the man dive into the water with a splash before surfacing and swimming closer to where Magnus stood, resting his hands on the ledge.

“So I wanted to ask you something about that handsome relative of yours,” he announced, staring up at the agent.

“Magnus? He's taken,” Magnus threw back in a dismissive manner. 

He saw the guy give him a look.

“God, no, he's too old for me. I meant Kian, actually,” he corrected, the blinding smile never dropping off his face. “But good to know you think of your cousin as handsome, considering you two look almost identical,” Aidan pointed out. 

_If only he knew._

“I’m not sure I should be talking about Kian behind his back.”

Magnus really needed the guy to lay off. If he got any more involved, he could play a chance victim in the game, and Magnus really didn't need an innocent man's blood on his hands. Even if the said man was an annoying pain in the ass. 

“It's nothing personal, I promise,” he reassured. His voice smooth as silk, intending to soothe, grinding on Magnus’ nerves. 

“Listen, Evan-”

“It's Aidan.”

“Listen, Aidan, you don't want to do this. We're only here for a short stay and then we go back home to our usual lives. There's no future to what you're trying to achieve,” Magnus tried to reason with the other man. 

“Don't underestimate my charm, mate,” the other smirked. “Does he prefer flowers or chocolates?”

“Neither,” Magnus stated plainly.

“Oh, jewellery then?”

_Jesus Christ, someone couldn't recognize a dismissal even if it spat him in the face._

Magnus desperately needed a plan to get the guy off Alec's back. It was because they couldn't get involved with anyone in this time, he told himself.

“It's not my place to tell you but he's just not interested, you see,” Magnus tried. “He already has someone on his mind.”

“Oh? Sounds like he needs someone to get his mind off that person,” Aidan purred, the confidence pouring out of him in waves. “He did look tense all over when I stood close enough to notice,” he inclined his head as if in thought. “But also that could be for some other reason.” Magnus watched the guy’s brows do a suggestive dance with a barely hidden scowl. “Do tell him I have magic hands,” the guy continued. “To relive that tension in those tense muscles, of course.”

_Oh hell no._

Done with the other’s suggestive speech, Magnus moved closer, stepping on the guy’s hand, ignoring his loud “ow”.

“Listen here, you're gonna stay away from him and if you accidentally meet him somewhere, you're gonna say hi like a polite guy that you are and ignore his existence for the rest of the time,” Magnus warned him, his voice dropping low and threatening. “He doesn't need more complications in his life. Are we clear?”

“What the hell, man?!” squicked Aidan.

Magnus gritted his teeth. “Are we clear?” 

“Yes, yes, Jesus, okay!”

“Good,” he exclaimed then in feign delight as if nothing happened. “Pleasure negotiating with such an understanding individual.”

At this point, Aidan’s face was screwed up into an ugly grimace, his brows knitted together. 

“Could you please get off my hand,” he gritted out in a small voice. 

Magnus blinked at him. “Oh, sorry about that, hadn’t noticed,” he said, stepping off the man's fingers. “Ouch, that doesn't look good,” Magnus pointed out, seeing the guy inspecting his reddened fingers. “You better put some ice on it,” he added heading for the exit door before Aidan could say anything. 

Suddenly, he didn't feel like swimming anymore.  
______

The first thing Alec saw when he came back to the apartment was a neon sticky note plastered to the wall near the coat rack, saying “went to the swimming pool, be back soon.”

With Magnus a few floors up and Ami already halfway to occupying the bathroom Alec was left with nothing to do, again. After taking a quick shower he made his way to the living room, his feet automatically leading him to the couch. He lowered himself on a soft upholstery with a slight groan, his muscles were full-on _feeling_ the training he put himself through. 

His head thrown back, he opened his eyes to fix them on the ceiling. He had to admit he was getting sick and tired of pointlessly staring at the ceiling all the time. In the middle of the night when he couldn't sleep, in the training room when his body was trying to recuperate on the floor, in the swimming pool, here. 

Yes, they had a silent agreement not to touch the TV remote but damn was Alec tempted to. Getting to know information you're not supposed to know lest you subconsciously use it in your own time and change the flow of events was frightening, but so was the prospect of losing your goddamn mind to boredom and overthinking. 

Taking the remote in hand, Alec made a decision. He'd risk getting overwhelmed. He would just flick through all the news channels until he found the one streaming the movies or maybe he could hack a family Netflix channel? The chances were the password would be the cat's name anyway. 

He pressed the red button and the screen came alive but instead of a reporter’s steady voice, there was a childish shriek and a sound of gleeful laughter. Alec scrunched his brows, sitting up on the couch to take a closer look at the screen.

“Hey, get up before you freeze your little butt off,” said the person behind the camera.

The voice was seeping with amusement and a building chuckle could be heard in it, and Alec knew that voice. It was his own. 

The video wasn't a movie or a news clip, it was an old tape filmed by Alec himself. 

The child was rolling in the snow, still dissolving into laughter despite Alec's earlier comment. They flopped on their back eventually, Alec coming closer and filming their red face from above, a bright smile with a couple of teeth missing shining up at him. _Ami._

“Come on, let's go film the view,” Alec said in the video. 

“But you can film it from here,” whined Ami. 

“The view from the other side of the slope is more picturesque, though,” he noted.

“What's that word?” 

Alec in the video chuckled and Alec felt the corner of his mouth crawling up into a tiny smile.

It seemed they were on some ski resort, people rushing around on their skis and snowboards, a thick forest spreading out far into the distance. 

“Incoming!” yelled another voice in the video right before Ami was hit in the stomach with a small snowball. 

Little Ami gasped and the next thing he knew another snowball was flying past the camera and apparently missing the person who was targeted by the lack of a thud or a scream.

“Unfair!” Ami shouted with a giggle she couldn't quite suppress. 

The second snowball must have hit the target since there was a loud “ouch” and with the words “oh, you little devil,” the person threw themselves at a giggling child, landing right next to her and trying to tickle Ami through all the layers of winter clothing she was wrapped in. Judging by the way Ami was wriggling, they were succeeding.

“Did you forget naughty children find coal in their stockings in the morning?” the person said in a pretend-ominous voice.

Alec didn't need them to turn around to know it was Magnus.

“Papa, stop!” little Ami yelped, breaking free of Magnus’ grasp and rolling away from him. 

The camera zoomed in and there he was. Magnus was lying in the snow, his nose and cheeks all red but a huge grin on his face. 

He looked straight into the camera and waved. 

Something in Alec gave a pang of emotion. He'd never seen Magnus like this. 

“Give your old husband a hand, Alexander. Don't be rude!”

Future Alec snorted at his man's antics and grasped his outstretched hand, tugging him back to his feet. 

Magnus smiled at the camera before his fond gaze fixed right above the lens and the next second the screen went dark as the camera was met with Magnus’ blue winter coat before all that could be heard were shuffling noises and a sound of smooching.

Alec felt a slight blush creeping up the back of his neck and averted his eyes, feeling too much like he was imposing on a personal moment.

“Dad, I want a kith, too!” 

Looking back at the TV screen, he was met with a picture of Ami wrapping herself around her dad’s leg and pouting up at the camera, distracting her parents from each other.

“Hey, I got it,” came a female voice somewhere behind the camera and the next moment the gadget was passed on to another person.

The woman flipped the camera to the front to throw a quick peace sign, making Alec's breath hitch. Maia Roberts was wearing a yellow beanie and a beaming smile, directed right at the viewers. 

“I claim control over this family vlog now,” she whispered conspicuously into the camera. “Quick update, Simon just proposed while you were busy with parenting and we decided not to tell you guys, so we can see your faces when you hear it back at the lodge when we rewatch the day’s amount of filming later tonight, sorry,” Maia announced in a whisper with a smile. 

Alec's lips parted slightly, his little sister just got engaged. What was he supposed to feel? Was he even supposed to feel anything? 

Seeing Maia was another overwhelming thing. He only knew her as a fellow agent working mainly on Magnus’ team, but even so, seeing her face defined but softened by years hit him harder than he could've thought. She looked like the mature woman she was, not a boisterous girl anymore. 

“Are you ready?” asked Maia on the screen.

“Double kiss!” Magnus exclaimed, making Ami grin harder. 

Alec watched as both he and Magnus crouched down on both sides of Ami before leaning in and simultaneously kissing her cheeks with an exaggerated smacking noise. 

He saw Magnus saying something to him, stroking his hand absentmindedly, and ushering him back towards Maia. 

“Come on, I’ll just film the view from the other side and we can go,” he told Maia, taking the camera back.

For the next couple of minutes, there were only sounds of Alec sniffing from the cold and snow crunching beneath his feet as he made his way to the other edge of the slope.

“Here we are,” he finally announced. “December 2028, Alicante ski resort,” he added, filming the breathtaking view. 

The snowy slope was leading to a small frozen lake that looked like a teardrop from up there. Behind the lake a cottage town was shining with Christmas lights, small cozy houses connected together with a cleared road boasting with people. Street food and drinks, trucks and carts were scattered all around, people queuing at every one of them. 

“Isn't it cozy?” he heard his voice say behind the shot. “It's like we're in a dream.” His voice was low, almost a stunned whisper, as if afraid to ruin the fairytale atmosphere. 

“Hey, blogger, let's go! We can't feel our fingers!” he heard his sister’s voice shout in the distance. 

Alec wasn't ready to see her, it would be too much for him now, but luckily he didn't have to. 

“Coming”! he shouted back, turning the camera back to the slope before the TV went dark.

Deafening silence filled the space where happy laughs and screams had just been and Alec already felt himself missing that air of happiness. Could he really have it? 

A few seconds later the screen went to a homepage with what looked like dozens of folders with different names and dates, all containing video material.

_Must be a family archive. Is this the last thing they were watching before leaving for the mission?_

No, one was enough. Alec tried to close the page but none of the buttons on the shiny remote did a thing. That was when he saw something like a foldable computer mouse, that was apparently wirelessly connected to the TV, lying on one of the shelves. 

He saw a cursor bar appear in the middle of the screen as he flipped the thing open and placed it on the coffee table. He reached for the closing cross at the top right corner but on his way there his hand faltered and hovered over a certain folder. “First wedding anniversary,” it read. And there, two rows above it was a folder named “Alec and Magnus, wedding day.” 

All the thoughts in his head came to a stop, his whole being concentrated on the words on the screen. 

It was real and it was right in front of him. The proof that he could have a normal life. That he deserved it and he had fought for it and he had got it. 

He didn't need to watch to believe it. 

Still, his finger rested on the left button on the mouse, a little more pressure and the video would play.

What would he see if he pressed play? Would he hear the vows being spoken at the altar? Or perhaps one of them walking down the aisle adorned in lavish wedding attire? The first dance? Familiar faces watching the ceremony with tears of joy in their eyes and wobbly smiles? 

_What if it was his only chance at seeing this happen? What if he never got to have it? What if it never happened to him?_ his mind screamed at him. 

_But what if it did?_ said something else inside Alec. 

With a slightly trembling hand, he clicked on the screen and the page disappeared. 

_If it is meant to happen, it will. In any time, in any universe. If this was his future he wouldn’t spoil it now. All good things come to those who wait, right?_ he thought. 

Little did he know that Magnus, who was silently watching, leaning against the doorway, was thinking the exact same thing.  
______ 

_Present time, Idris HQ_

Captain Garroway stormed through the corridors of the IT department, a heavy dusty file in his hand. Stepping into the shared office through the glass doors, he looked the room over until his eyes landed on the person he needed. 

“Agent Lewis,” he called out. “A word, please.”

With that, he stepped out of the office without waiting for the agent’s reply. 

“Anything I can do for you, Captain?” Simon asked as soon as the glass doors slid shut behind him.

“A few hours ago I came across an old file containing the data of extreme importance for our current big mission,” he explained. 

“The future mission?” the agent confirmed, inclining his head in curiosity gaining all his attention. 

Luke nodded. “I went through the file, I’ve never seen this information before. Someone was complying it decades before me, it contains the information dating back to the ’70s and earlier. For some reason, it was unfinished and abandoned, none of it got archived into our base.” 

“You want me to file it to the base, got it,” Simon agreed.

“Actually, that's the smallest part of it,” Luke admitted, lowering his voice. “I want you to find someone you trust to do this,” he informed the agent, handing him the file. “Ask agent Isabelle Lightwood if you have to.”

“I thought she's a field agent?” 

Luke shrugged. “She's a lot of things.”

“Wow,” Simon breathed out, impressed.

“So, what do you want from me then?” he asked after Luke cleared his throat. 

“You know what's in the room C739, right?”

Simon visibly blanched. “If you're asking me if I can go to the future, I’d have to politely decline, sir, with all due respect but I-” 

“Stop rumbling, agent,” Luke fixed him with a look, slight amusement shining through. “I’m not sending you anywhere,” he assured him and watched agent Lewis take a deep breath of relief.

“Oh, thank God,” the latter mumbled, gaining his composure back.

“Do you know if there's a way an object could be sent through the machine?” Luke asked.

Simon’s brows did a complicated thing before knitting together. “Could you be more specific, sir?”

Luke sighed before stating his request as plainly as he could muster. “I need to know if it's possible to send a letter through Cerebro to a certain place.”

He watched Simon’s eyes widen. “You want to send a letter to agent Lightwood and agent Bane?” 

“No, it's for someone else in the future, but that's not the point. Could it be possible?”

“Well, if we take into account the way wormholes-”

“If I could get a simple yes or no answer, please,” Luke rushed to interrupt him, knowing how much Simon loved to go into details.

“Yes, technically it can be possible,” he confirmed. “If we alternate a few things in the core of the machine or create a new starting code. I don't know how though,” he admitted hesitantly. Who could blame him, he never had to deal with time travelling before.

“That's exactly what I want you to do,” Luke declared. “Find a way to make this possible.”

“Me?!” agent Lewis shrieked.

“I need you to form a group of technicians who can be trusted with this work, the best of the best in the field, and do everything in your powers to make this work. Starting now,” Luke said and turned around to leave. 

“But I can't? I’m not the head of the department!” Simon whisper-shouted after him.

Captain Garroway turned without slowing his walk and shrugged like it was the most obvious thing. “Well, I just made you one.”

Simon stood there gaping at the Captain’s retreating back, fixing his glasses on his nose.

“O-okay, I’m the head of the department, now,” he told himself, trying to process the information. “I’m the head of the department!” he said louder, a smile splitting his face. 

He whipped around and rushed back into the office before stopping dead in his tracks to fix his jacket, clear his throat and smooth his face into a serious expression before entering the place, feeling ready to take on the world.

Striding determinately to his working place, Simon dropped the heavy file on his desk and flopped into his chair, leaning back and crossing his hands behind his head. He had a person to assign for the filing job and the team to build but a second of complacency never hurt anyone. 

Meanwhile, he decided to flip through the file as the curiosity got the best of him. Opening the file on the first page, his brows went up. The agent’s expression morphed into one of astonishment and excitement. That _was_ big for their case. 

Somewhere closer to the end of the file one of the pages stood out among others. One sentence was written in bold letters and was highlighted, probably by Luke. Simon looked closer, reread the sentence once, twice, three times. His eyes nearly popped out of his head.

“Oh, shit.”  
______

_The year 2037, back at the apartment_

Magnus couldn't sleep. The day he had to break into the lion’s den was knocking on his door and he couldn't even catch the tiniest amount of shut-eye. He couldn't sleep and all the tossing and turning didn't do him any good.

The electric clock on the bedside table said it was 2:37 am. He rolled to lay on his other side and came face to...almost face with a sleeping Zeus. The cat was snoring on the pillow to his right, that must smell like one of his owners. 

After accidentally falling asleep in the main bedroom it didn't feel that weird sleeping on that bed anymore. It was just a bed, after all, they've already touched all the possible furniture in the apartment, what difference did it make?

Plus, it was way more comfortable to sleep on than the living room couch, no matter how soft it was.

Giving up on his vain attempts to fall asleep, Magnus rolled out of bed and padded into the living room. He was halfway to grabbing a book and throwing himself on the couch when another idea came to his head.

Magnus tiptoed to the door of the guest bedroom, not wanting to wake Alec up in case he was actually sleeping like a normal person. Leaning his ear against the door, he checked if there were any sounds coming from the room. There weren't. 

He stood by the door, shifting from foot to foot like a teenager while contemplating what to do. 

“Okay, fuck it,” he whispered under his nose before carefully creaking the door open just enough to see what was going on inside just to see the room dark and empty. 

Stepping into the room he saw the bathroom door swung open and no Alec there as well.

_Huh, weird._

The keys to the training room were still laying in the marble bowl when he emerged into the hallway. That only left one more place, novel and unexplored.

Without much thinking, he pulled on his jacket leaving a note in case Ami would wake up and wonder where they were and making sure the front door was securely locked, made his way up the stairs. 

The door leading to the rooftop budged easily with one push and there he was. Alec was sitting on a blanket, back turned towards the door, soft wind ruffling his unruly hair. 

“I thought it was supposed to be locked for the night?” Magnus called out, taking a step closer to the other man. 

Alec didn't show any signs of surprise at having Magnus there, his body didn't tense even for a second. 

“Perks of being a trained agent,” he replied, showing off a small hair clip he must have stolen from Ami.

Magnus’ gaze fell on the opened bottle of whiskey in Alec's hand, still almost full, and he let out a melodic whistle. “Rummaged through the drinks cabinet and didn't even invite me? I’m offended.”

“Didn't think you'd accept the invitation.” 

Now that Magnus was standing closer, he could see Alec's face still turned towards the night view of the city, tight-lipped smile sitting on his face more awkward than teasing.

Magnus invited himself to sit on the other end of the plaid blanket, keeping some distance between them. “Thought you knew me well enough by now,” he commented offhandedly.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Alec finally turn his head towards him. “Does anyone?”

“Ouch,” Magnus hissed, taking the bottle from Alec's lax grip, making sure their fingers didn't touch in the process. “Fair point,” he added then, taking a gulp of raw alcohol, letting it burn his throat and send warmth through his body. 

He felt the muscles on his face strain in an attempt to form a grimace since he wasn't really a type to opt for neat alcohol, preferring mostly sweet or sour cocktails with a fruity aftertaste. But now he didn't mind the hot burn sliding down his throat, matching the one his mind was experiencing. 

“Couldn't sleep?” Magnus asked after the silence stretched, offering Alec the bottle back.

“Next night can go so many ways,” Alec voiced his thoughts reluctantly. _So that's what's keeping him up at night, of course._ “It'll be my first time playing as a handler. What if I make a mistake?”

“You won't,” Magnus said firmly. “We don't have room for mistakes this time. It's not my life on the line.”

He felt Alec give him a sharp glare, his jaw set. 

“Fine, not _only_ my life on the line,” he corrected himself under Alec's disapproving gaze.

“Magnus, if I-”

“Nope,” Magnus butted in, shaking his head. “No. There's only one way we can let it go and that's the right way. You can do it. You're Alexander Lightwood.”

He didn't know what he expected Alec to reply but in the end, the latter just kept silent. 

“Wanna know a secret?” the other agent asked eventually for the sake of changing the topic. 

Getting Magnus’ acknowledging hum in return, he confessed, “I actually don't hate it when you call me Alexander.”

Magnus turned a questioning look on him, taking another sip from the bottle.

“I did at the beginning, it made me flinch,” Alec elaborated. “That's how my parents used to call me. They'd call me Alec on a rare good day, turning back to barking Alexander any time they felt like I needed to be lectured for this or that,” he explained further, motioning for Magnus to pass him the bottle. “Or when they were displeased with something I’ve done or disappointed in me or so wound up from the last mission they needed someone to play their scapegoat and since I was the oldest…” 

Magnus watched him make a helpless gesture with his hands. His best guess was Alec's full name was only associated with things that followed right after it was called out and none of them was something to write home about. 

“But then you started calling me that and I hated you for it at first, until one day I realized I stopped flinching away from my own name in expectation of a new wave of humiliation and self-doubt.” Alec's previously blank face gave way to the bitterness, which wasn't even half of what he must be feeling. “I mean yes, you weren't particularly nice to me but it was so different I started hearing something else in my name. I might have hated the fact you of all people were the source of it,” he admitted with a humourless chuckle.

Alec didn't say anything else afterwards for a whole minute and that distant faraway look he suddenly got told Magnus he was done. 

The dull sound of cars speeding through the night meters below them was the only sound until Magnus broke the silence before anxiety could close up his throat and make him backtrack out of what he was about to do.

“I was born in Jakarta, Indonesia,” he started, voice unnaturally flat. “My mom was a common working woman, slaving away day and night to keep the family running.” 

His grip on the bottle tightened. He'd never told anyone about this, ever. Though, something about Alec and his own unconcealed vulnerability made Magnus brave enough to share the story for the first time in his life. 

“She was killed on her way home after a late-night shift.” Saying the words out loud hurt. He felt his voice break on the last word. “Turned out my father was more of a piece of shit than I initially thought,” he chuckled and the sound came up pathetic to his own ears. 

Alec's eyes were fixed on him but he couldn't rip his eyes away from the starred skyline. 

“He was into some illegal stuff. She was a warning, they said I'd be next if he didn't stop,” he scoffed, the words bitter on his tongue. “He didn't care enough to stop.”

He heard Alec's sharp intake of breath and swallowed his own emotion down.

“I got attacked, only managed to run away cause some random people saved me,” Magnus continued. “I heard the sounds of a fight, fists connecting with faces, limbs cracking, people grunting. But I was too scared to turn around and look who got the upper hand,” he shrugged helplessly. “So I ran and ran until I reached home. He was there. He saw what they did to me,” he bit out. “He didn't care.”

The last words stung like yesterday’s scratch except they were a deep wound that never managed to heal. A buried hurt spreading through his veins like venom. 

Alec just sat and listened, his undivided attention on Magnus, soaking up every word and emotion the other one let slip into the night. 

He bit his lip to stop it from trembling. “I dropped out of school, started working, spent all the money on self-defence classes.” He sniffed quietly, hoping Alec wouldn't notice. He probably did but Magnus knew he wouldn't hold it against him.

“One day I came home and he was gone. Took some stuff, money, and left, just like that. Like there was nothing good enough to stay for,” he said with a shaky breath. “And there wasn't. There never was,” he added in a whisper. 

“I was alone. Didn't know what to do with my life. Started searching for the people who saved me or the place they came from cause I wanted to become one of them,” he said, finally turning to meet Alec's unwavering look. “So I became an agent,” he finished with a shrug as if it was as simple as that. As if it wasn't the decision ruled by years of hurt, neglect and gut-wrenching terror. 

He turned away, not ready to face the sympathy in Alec's eyes. 

“I swore to protect people like my mother with my last dying breath,” he stated. “People who were just pawns in a bigger game, the one they never wanted to be a part of.” His hands squeezing into tight fists, he felt anger bubbling up inside of him. “Those who didn't do anything to deserve what life condemned them with.”

All the pent up emotions in him were raging, filling him with anger, turning him into a ticking bomb that was destined to go off any given moment. 

He felt his hands shake where he was playing with his fingers on his lap, his body went rigid, waiting for the blow that would send him overflowing. 

Waiting for Alec to say something was like waiting for the other shoe to drop. Just one sympathetic look, one whispered “I’m sorry” and Magnus would erupt like a boiling volcano razing all in its way. 

He turned his head and raised his eyes to meet Alec's, slowly, apprehensively. 

But all the other man said was, “She would be so proud of you.”

And it was all he needed to hear. 

Magnus’ shoulders sagged, all traces of rage giving way to fleeting desolation. The tension in his jaw as he had unknowingly clenched his teeth relaxing from Alec’s words. The tightly wound bundle of hurt uncurling and slipping away with the wind, not forever, but it was enough for now. 

Alec's eyes were looking back at him with pure understanding and such a foreign speck of pride that he felt his eyes prickle. 

“Thank you,” he whispered, fearing his voice would quiver if he spoke any louder. 

He knew vulnerability coated his words but he couldn't bring himself to care. He let his guard down around the other agent a long time ago. Feeling safe in the presence of another person wasn't a regular thing for an agent and it was scary how fast Magnus stopped questioning this feeling.

Playing with the corner of the blanket, he let his mind wander back to his birthplace. The blurry picture his mind drew for him was of his childhood house, old and shaggy, him playing on the porch and his mom resting in a hammock on a rare day off, reading a book out loud.

As if knowing where his thoughts travelled, Alec sent him a curious look. “Hey, say something in Indonesian.”

Magnus smiled genuinely, meeting Alec's eyes.  
A mischievous twinkle in his eyes made him look like he knew something nobody else did.

“Maybe one day.”  
______

“Do you think it's weird?” Magnus asked when they both were lying on their backs, the bottle of whiskey half-empty standing between them. “That we were sent on this mission and now we suddenly get along?”

“We have to if we want this to work and get out of this in one piece,” Alec tried to reason.

“Is that what makes you like me? That I increase your chances of survival?”

“I don't like you, I tolerate you,” Alec corrected him, his finger raised. 

“Hey!” Magnus punched him in the shoulder playfully, nearly tipping over the bottle with the speed he used to reach across the blanket.

Alec snorted at him before turning serious. “But no, it's not that. I think we're more alike than anyone could’ve thought, you and I.”

Though silent, it seemed they came to a mutual agreement not to unpack any more heavy stuff this night. 

“Who would've thought, huh? You and me, sharing secrets,” Magnus drawled out.

“Well, we are the only people stuck in the future.” 

Magnus reached for the bottle, took a swig and handed it to Alec. 

“Do you think that's all that keeps us together?”

He watched Alec's Adam’s apple bob as he took a gulp before answering, “No.”  
______

Half an hour later and half a bottle of whiskey more they were sprawled on the blanket chatting back and forth. Somewhere in between 3:15 and 3:30 am their conversation got lighter and they ended up shuffling closer to each other.

Alec was on the finish line of his story about Izzy’s 10th birthday, the alcohol egging the conversation on. His mind was slightly fuzzy and his tongue was cooperating worse than usual but his insides were filled with warmth even a chilly spring night couldn't chase off.

Magnus was just as tipsy by his side judging by an unguarded goofy smile he kept on his face during the whole story.

It was the second time he heard Magnus howl with laughter when he mentioned Izzy falling into her cake their parents spent hundreds on and proceeding to lay in it with her legs raised to the ceiling and cry. 

Magnus’ hysteria set off Alec's own laughter and every time one of them started to calm down, they would look at each other and it would get them going all over again. 

“What was your birthday present for...let's say for your 13th birthday?” Magnus could barely get the words out in between fits of uncontrollable laughter. 

Alec's face scrunched up in thought. 

“Oh! I remember!” he announced with a snort. “SIG Sauer P226.”

Magnus’ head whipped in his direction, his eyes wide. “A whole-ass full-sized semi-automatic gun,” he whispered in shock.

“A whole-ass full-sized semi-automatic gun,” Alec confirmed.

They stared at each other for about five seconds before Alec snorted at the ridiculousness of the concept and then they were both laughing again, holding onto their stomachs. 

“What was yours?” Alec asked when he calmed down a bit, wiping at his eyes.

A giggle rumbled out of Magnus’ chest that he tried to cover with his hand for a whole amount of two seconds before bursting into uncontrollable laughter.

Alec's own shoulders were shaking despite him not even knowing what Magnus found so hilarious.

“Nothing,” he managed to squeak out through the sound of laughter, “I got nothing.”

Magnus was still having a fit, rolling on the blanket like his whole life was one big joke he was too drunk to stop laughing at it.

And they laughed until they couldn't breathe, they laughed like it was their last night, laughed until Alec heard Magnus sniff and his laughter turn into sobbing. He saw Magnus’ arms wrap around himself as he rolled to one side, tears streaming down his face. 

The sound of his sorrow was so raw and uncontrolled, all Alec could do was pull Magnus closer with a whispered: “come here.”

The other man tucked himself into Alec’s side, making himself look smaller. Alec let him clutch at his t-shirt as he enveloped Magnus in his arms. Feeling the wetness of the other’s hot tears on his neck, something strained in Alec and the lump in his own throat made it hard to breathe. 

Heart-wrenching wailing sounds were leaving Magnus as if coming from his very soul, Alec's form trembling along with his. 

He managed to keep his own tears at bay until Magnus’ hand tightened around him and he heard his unsteady voice mumble against his chest. “It hurts.”

Alec's eyes squeezed shut and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop a tear rolling down his cheek. 

“I hate it,” Magnus whimpered. 

What was it that he hated? Feeling so vulnerable? Losing control over his own body and mind? Having someone see him like this? The whole situation they were in? What his father did? His way of living in general? Everything at once?

“I hate it,” Magnus repeated through tears and for the first time in years, Alec let himself cry.

His hand was rubbing soothing circles on Magnus’ back, his face hidden into the other’s soft hair where Magnus’ head was tucked under his own, such a deadly man breaking down in his arms.

He cried for Magnus, cried for himself, cried for years he wouldn't let himself feel and the life he never had. 

They clung to each other until it was all out of their systems. 

The night was slowly morphing into the early morning when the sobbing ceased and turned into quiet sniffing. Magnus’ arm loosened his hold on Alec but he didn't let go. 

Alec ran his fingers through the other’s hair gently, comfortingly. Managing to even out his breathing, Magnus moved back from Alec just enough to turn around in his arms to lie on his back.

“Do you ever just look at the stars and think that your parents are watching you from up there?” he croaked out, eyes on the dark sky.

“I don't think they'd care enough to watch over me,” Alec admitted. “I just hope they look after Izzy and Jace.” He paused before asking tentatively, “Do you think your mom does?”

Magnus’ lip wobbled when a barely-there smile tugged at his mouth, and he said, “I think she's the brightest star out there.”  
______

He wasn't okay and neither was Magnus, but he knew when the morning came, they'd put on brave faces, be the perfect soldiers they were taught to be and set aside their own emotions for the sake of others. 

For now, though, he let himself draw the other man closer, inhaling his sweet smell as the silence lulled them to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> How painful was it? I'm looking forward to reading y'all's reactions here in the comments and on twitter! Your feedback is what inspires and encourages me :)
> 
> In the next chapter, we're gonna dive into the first mission where Magnus infiltrates into the enemy's territory, Alec plays his handler and everything goes according to the plan...or does it?

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think here in comments and come scream at me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/alightbane) <3
> 
> Till the next chapter!


End file.
